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While drinking tap water in the UK is considered safe, a new study showed that millions of people are exposed to ‘soft water’, which contains low levels of calcium and magnesium.
Drinking tap water is generally considered safe in the UK. (Representative Image)
Does drinking tap water cause dementia? A new study has claimed that drinking this water is apparently putting millions of people in the United Kingdom at risk of the neurodegenerative disease due to low levels of minerals.
Unlike India, drinking tap water is generally considered safe in the UK as British water claims to be one of the best water supplies in the world. However, scientists say the water contains low levels of calcium and magnesium, which may put around 40 per cent of the British population at risk of developing dementia.
The groundbreaking study carried out by a team of scientists from Imperial College London and China found millions of people being exposed to “soft water” – which has between zero and 60 mg of calcium carbonate per litre of water – in areas like Yorkshire and Cornwall. These people had a 34 per cent higher risk of vascular dementia – as compared to those who had a hard water supply, according to The Mirror.
People living in “softer water” area could be likely to develop the disease because the minerals, which have a protective effect on the brain, is low in such water, therefore allowing toxic elements like lead into the human body. The research found residents with soft water had structural changes to their brain in twenty different areas.
Low concentrations of calcium were also associated with a 63 per cent higher risk of dementia, while low levels of magnesium are associated with a 25 per cent of Alzheimer’s Disease.
This was one of the first studies to look at the potential impact of tap water’s calcium on neurodegenerative disease. However, their research was criticised by other scientists who claimed the way they conducted the study was “problematic.”
“There is more work to be done on any environmental factor that might be linked to dementia, and this shows that water may potentially be a part of that. It’s important to recognise that the study doesn’t prove that water type contributes to the development of dementia,” said Dr Tom Russ, director of the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre.
“There’s still a much bigger risk of dementia from other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure and most people shouldn’t be too worried about the effect that tap water might have. If it has any effect, it’ll be very small,” he added.
- Location :
London, United Kingdom (UK)