C. Tejaswi Sai Priya, Sapna Konde
The consumption of mineral water has been increasing of late for reasons such as taste, smell and purity. The very concept of mineral water was first defined by the International Balneological Congress at Nauheim, Germany in 1911 as water containing at least 1000mg of dissolved mineral constituents per liter. Over the years this definition of mineral water was changed many times and today the acceptable level had fallen to 200mg/l. Minerals are an important part of drinking water and have both direct and indirect health significance. They are essential for the normal maintenance of the body. The commonly found minerals in water include calcium, sodium, potassium, copper, manganese, iron, fluoride and magnesium. Water borne minerals are in ionic form and are easily absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, it has been suggested that drinking water may be an important source of mineral intake. Minerals like calcium and magnesium are abundant in drinking water and have important physiological functions and an unsuitable intake of these minerals may increase the likelihood of the disease. Along with calcium, fluoride has beneficial effects on prevention of dental caries due to the formation of crystalline hydroxyapatite leading to more resistant enamel