Mineral water - optimal composition

[Claradonna]

What's the optimal composition of minerals in mineral water?

Where I am abroad right now, bottled water is the standard, as tap water is not potable.

Some local mineral waters are good (actually bottled in Europe and sold under a local brand)
and I find that Evian is suitable to drink only once in a while,
if used as a staple water, it is too diluted, and can feel a mineral drain from my body.


Are there specific mineral amounts and ratios in water that are closest to what is found in the body?

[Buttercat Apocalypse]

I woulda thought that what you got in mineral water was really negligible. Besides, all water has minerals in it, calling bottled water "mineral" is just a sales ploy.

[Claradonna]

Nope. There really are different mineral compositions in mineral water.

For example, from 9mg/l of calcium all the way up to 500mg/l of calcium just in European waters. Or 78 mg/l for evian and 148 mg/l for perrier
The human body is at homeostasis with about 1000mg calcium per day, so those sources from water are a big difference. So best to find the optimal range, or what is closest to the natural mineral compsition in the body.

[beautyscientist]

I only know of one study that looks into the actual composition of mineral water. I reviewed it on my blog. Beauty tip - drink water to improve your skin | Colin's Beauty Pages

This is specifically about the effect of water on the skin but I imagine that if there are skin benefits it is probably beneficial to the rest of your body as well.

[beautyscientist]

Originally Posted by Buttercat Apocalypse

I woulda thought that what you got in mineral water was really negligible. Besides, all water has minerals in it, calling bottled water "mineral" is just a sales ploy.

That is true a lot of the time, but there are some mineral waters from particular regions which are genuine products. Evian is, as Claradonna has found, a particularly pure one.

San Pellegrino from Italy is particularly rich in minerals but does cost a lot. The study I refer to in my other post was either done on San Pellegrino or something very similar to it. I rarely drink it because it is owned by Nestlé, a company at odds with my ethics. But if you can stomach drinking water from a company that promotes formula baby milk in the third world, it is very pleasant to taste and I believe does have some health benefits.