Is there any reason not to drink distilled water?

November 22, 2025 •

4 min read

While naval vessels have used distilled seawater for decades, demonstrating its safety for survival, many wonder, is there any reason not to drink distilled water daily? The debate over its long-term health implications involves key nutritional and practical considerations that a simple purification process cannot address.

Quick Summary

The distillation process removes essential minerals, potentially impacting the body's electrolyte balance and leaving the water with an unappealing flat taste. Long-term, exclusive consumption may lead to dietary deficiencies if not managed carefully.

Key Points

Mineral Deficiency: Distilled water is stripped of essential minerals like calcium and magnesium, potentially leading to long-term dietary deficiencies.
Electrolyte Imbalance: Exclusive, long-term consumption may disrupt the body's electrolyte balance, potentially causing fatigue, headaches, and muscle cramps.
Flat Taste: The lack of dissolved minerals and gases gives distilled water an unappealing flat or bland taste that can reduce water consumption.
Leaching Myth Clarified: While distilled water doesn't actively leach minerals from your bones, its lack of minerals means it won't replenish those lost through sweat or urination.
Dental Health Impact: The removal of fluoride from distilled water can negatively affect dental health over time.
Cost and Convenience: Producing distilled water at home can be more expensive and time-consuming than other water purification methods.

The Purity vs. Nutrition Paradox

Distilled water is created by boiling water into a vapor, then condensing the steam back into a pure liquid. This process effectively removes contaminants, pesticides, heavy metals, and bacteria. However, it also strips the water of beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. This creates a paradox: while the water is exceptionally pure from a contamination standpoint, it is nutritionally empty, which raises several questions about its suitability for daily hydration.

Mineral Depletion and Electrolyte Imbalance

The most significant health concern with drinking distilled water is the lack of naturally occurring minerals. Though the primary source of minerals should come from a balanced diet, the trace amounts found in tap water contribute to our daily intake. When a person relies solely on demineralized water for an extended period, it can potentially lead to deficiencies and a disruption of the body's delicate electrolyte balance. Electrolytes are crucial for nerve function, muscle contractions, and maintaining fluid balance. Some potential health effects of long-term mineral and electrolyte deficiency include:

Fatigue and general weakness
Headaches
Muscle cramps
Heartbeat irregularities
Increased urine output and potential dehydration

Leaching Minerals from the Body: Fact or Fiction?

The idea that distilled water actively "leaches" minerals from the body is a common claim, but one that is largely exaggerated and misunderstood. Distilled water is a 'hungry' solvent, meaning it will absorb carbon dioxide from the air, becoming slightly acidic, and will absorb minerals from any container it is stored in. However, the human body's blood pH is tightly regulated by complex mechanisms. While the water is mineral-deficient, it is more accurate to say that the body will not have minerals replenished from the water source, rather than the water actively and aggressively stripping them from bones and tissues in a harmful way. The long-term problem is an overall dietary deficiency, not the water itself being corrosive to the body's cells.

The Unappealing Flat Taste

Many who try distilled water for drinking find its taste to be bland, flat, or unappealing. The minerals, salts, and dissolved gases present in typical drinking water contribute to its characteristic flavor. With these elements removed, the resulting liquid is essentially tasteless. This might not be a health risk, but it could lead to reduced water intake, especially for those sensitive to taste, making it harder to stay properly hydrated.

Practical and Environmental Disadvantages

Beyond the health considerations, there are practical reasons why distilled water isn't a great choice for general consumption.

Cost and Energy: Home distillation units use electricity to boil water, which can make it a more expensive and energy-intensive option per gallon compared to standard filtered water.
Inconvenience: Distilling water at home is a time-consuming process that requires a dedicated machine and regular cleaning. Storing large quantities of bottled distilled water is also less convenient and environmentally friendly than using a home filter.
Storage Concerns: Distilled water is so pure that it readily absorbs compounds from its container. Storing it in plastic bottles, especially for long periods, can allow it to absorb trace amounts of chemicals from the plastic, making it less safe.

Distilled Water vs. Other Purified Water Options


Feature	Distilled Water	Tap Water	Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water
Mineral Content	Essentially none; all minerals removed	Varies by source and location; contains beneficial minerals	Most minerals removed, though some systems may reintroduce them
Purity	Very high purity, free of most contaminants	Regulated to be safe, but can contain trace impurities	High purity, removes a wide range of contaminants
Taste	Flat and bland due to lack of minerals and gases	Varies widely; mineral content affects flavor	Can also taste flat, but some systems improve flavor
Cost	Relatively high for home units and purchased bottles	Low cost and readily available	Moderate cost for initial system and filter replacement
Best For	Medical equipment, appliances, specific uses	General drinking, cooking, convenience	High-purity drinking, cooking, and health needs

Conclusion: Finding the Right Balance

In conclusion, there are several reasons why drinking distilled water is not recommended for long-term, exclusive use, primarily due to the complete absence of beneficial minerals. While safe for short periods, relying on it as a primary hydration source can increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies and electrolyte imbalances over time, especially for individuals with a less-than-perfect diet. It also comes with practical disadvantages related to cost, taste, and potential contamination from storage materials. For most people, a balanced approach is best: for general hydration, a high-quality tap water or a filtration method like reverse osmosis that retains or adds back healthy minerals is superior. Ultimately, ensuring a balanced intake of nutrients, primarily from food, is key, regardless of the water source. A good overview of water quality can be found in the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, which has discussed potential risks of demineralized water.

Symptoms of a Potential Electrolyte Imbalance

Headaches: Deficiencies in calcium and magnesium may trigger headaches and migraines.
Fatigue: Weakness and persistent tiredness are common signs of magnesium deficiency.
Muscle Cramps: A lack of adequate magnesium and other electrolytes can lead to muscle twitches, spasms, and cramps.
Irregular Heartbeat: Electrolytes like potassium and calcium are critical for proper heart rhythm.
Cognitive Issues: Severe imbalances can affect nerve function and lead to impaired mental clarity.

Final Thoughts on Distilled Water

While distilled water is the purest form of water available in terms of removing contaminants, it is precisely this purity—the lack of dissolved minerals—that makes it an unsuitable choice for regular, long-term drinking. The most sensible path is to ensure a balanced intake of essential minerals and electrolytes from a nutritious diet, supplemented by a drinking water source that either contains these minerals naturally or has them added back after filtration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Distilled water is not inherently dangerous for short-term consumption, as used by naval personnel for decades. However, long-term, exclusive drinking can lead to potential health issues due to a lack of essential minerals like calcium and magnesium.

The distillation process involves boiling water and collecting the resulting steam. Since minerals and other impurities have a higher boiling point than water, they are left behind in the boiling chamber, resulting in pure but mineral-free water.

This is a common misconception. While distilled water doesn't actively strip minerals from your body, its lack of minerals means it cannot replenish the electrolytes your body loses through normal processes. The long-term risk is mineral deficiency from insufficient dietary intake, not active leaching by the water itself.

Yes, distilled water has a notably flat or bland taste. This is because the distillation process removes the dissolved minerals and gases that contribute to the flavor of tap or mineral water.

For daily hydration, a better alternative is typically a high-quality tap water, filtered water (such as through activated carbon), or reverse osmosis (RO) water that retains some beneficial minerals. The best choice often depends on your local water quality and individual health needs.

The removal of fluoride during distillation is a concern for children's developing teeth, as fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. It is recommended to consult a pediatrician or dentist before using distilled water for infant formula or for children to ensure proper mineral intake.

Using distilled water for cooking may result in a loss of nutrients from foods. Cooking foods in demineralized water can reduce the mineral content of the food itself.