eli5: Is there such a concept as adding essential vitamins and minerals to potable water? If so, does it happen in a large scale anywhere in the world?
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The one mineral that is commonly added to water is fluoride, to help prevent tooth decay. I don’t know of other additives that are meant to be directly beneficial to a human (as opposed chlorine ect. to keep the water drinkable).
It’s sometimes done in bottled water, they usually advertise it as vitamin water.
But with easily accessible vitamin and mineral supplements, it’s just not necessary, really.
Fluoride is added to water on a pretty large scale in a lot of places. Other things not so much, and there’s probably no real need for them.
Adding effective quantities of micro-nutrients to drinking water and beverages to really make a difference, for purposes of boosting micro-nutrient-nutrition, is not really done…
Because, why? Because: its not really safe to do that–otherwise it then becomes very difficult to control the dosage individual people are getting.
Essentially, for example:
Person A may drink a lot more water than Person B, and thus get an overdose!
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But sure there’s at least a few limited examples in terms of other beverages (if we expand the liquid to consist of more than just tap water)… mostly done for either preservation, flavor, coloring, or in a few cases for health.
For example:
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Milk is fortified with Vitamin D and calcium.
Many juice type beverages have added Vitamin C as a preservative.
City water can have added fluorine, and usually also always contains traces of added chlorine.
Nitrate and nitrites are also added to some beverages (including vegetable juices).
Sulfur (potassium metabisulfite) is often added to beer and wine fermentations. Sulfur compounds also occur naturally during fermentation as well. If you’ve ever done a fast fermentation by adding lots of yeast, then you’ll have noticed that sulfur smell in the end product!
The mineral Bentonite is often added to wine, as a clarification agent.
For a long long time during the course of human history, lead was added to beer and wines, to supposedly enhance “sweetness” and added flavoring effects. (And if you live in Flint Michigan, then you got lots and lots of knowingly added lead, through pipe materials!)
Also: salt and various forms of sodium are also often added to beverages, including club soda. As well?: sodium benzoate also acts as a preservative in some beverage/liquid foods. And there’s also potassium based salts, like monopotassium phosphate.
Minerals in acid form are also added for flavoring, including tangyness… such as phosphoric acid.
Many water sources are loaded with minerals and require softening (removal of trace elements) not hardening ( fortifying with more). On small scales some add other salts, fluoride,electrolytes,pedialyte for kids, UN/UNICEF and ngos provide Rehydration Salts https://www.rehydrate.org/index.html emergency relief and refugee camps meant to be combined with pure water https://www.rehydrate.org/index.html https://www.unicef.org/supply/reports/oral-rehydration-salts-ors-and-zinc-market-update even shitty Dasani has magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and salt added. Anything beyond would be more a Tea or broth beverage blurs lines on calling it water
having those additives would be extremely wasteful (potentially harmful) for all the things potable water is used for. residential agriculture, bathing, even for cooking.
And an excess of vitamins can cause serious intestinal issues, so depending how much you drink (during exercise or something) you may get too much too quickly and wind up with the shits.
perhaps most notably, the places that might need a baseline of vitamins would be the poorest areas, and this would be very expensive.
Calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate can be added to potable water, generally without much issues, except it makes hard water deposits and stains worse. Tap water in some areas, especially water for wells with low oxygen, may contain iron. The disadvantage is that causes rust stains on sinks, showers, and toilets. Also causes a bit of unpleasant metallic taste, although one cat get used it. However this isn’t generally enough iron to fulfill the full daily requirements. Likewise with calcium.
Of course a lot of people get water softeners in their house for the purpose of removing most such minerals.
The main issue with adding other kinds of nutrients is that would encourage the growth of microorganisms, forming a biofilm on the inside of pipes. That could then harbor pathogenic bacteria. They would also react with chlorination in tap water, which would defeate the purpose of both chlorination and the stated nutrients.
Thank you everyone! I’m going to look at these answers in more detail when my brain works again.
I suppose I was wondering if a group of people were chronically deficient in certain micronutrients and minerals if adding it to the water would be a viable method delivery.
I didn’t consider the buildup, overdose potential and the probable negative environmental impacts.
Thanks again!
Vitamins would decay too fast they are also too expensive.
For minerals, fluoride (to protect teeth) is added in most English-speaking countries. It’s unpopular in non-English speaking countries, however.
Calcium, magnesium, and fluoride are naturally present in water. Some other minerals can be present too. Many people choose to have a water softener that removes calcium and magnesium (and increases sodium and potassium) to improve the taste and improve the usability of the water to wash things with soap. Since most people consume too much sodium, it’s actually bad for them.
Adding more minerals to the water would also convince many people to stop using tap water or to soften it for taste or washing purposes. If people aren’t going to drink the minerals because they don’t like them, adding them is a waste of money.
The minerals that are the most often lacking are iron and calcium. Both of them taste a lot, so adding them would be very unpopular and many people would not drink them by using bottled water or softened water.
Fluoride is added to municipal water in some countries (namely the USA) to help prevent tooth decay. I haven’t heard of other minerals being added to water on a large scale.
You can buy bottled water, either naturally rich in minerals (mineral spring water) or fortified, such as vitamin water. There isn’t all that much scientific evidence supporting that these types of water have real benefit, so there isn’t justification to do it beyond marketing hype.
One thing that comes close is sports drinks (Gatorade, etc.), which are basically water loaded with a bunch of minerals, salt, and other electrolytes which can help you when you are dehydrated. Because all this would add an unpleasant taste, they also add sugar and sweeteners to cover up the mineral and salt tastes. Pedialyte is probably about the same thing, without as much flavoring or sugar.
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