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Drinking tap water could be putting millions of people living in the UK at a greater risk of dementia, new research has found.
Scientists claim to have fresh evidence that shows the “harmful effect of soft water on neurodevelopmental disorders”, including dementia and multiple sclerosis.
The research found that people exposed to soft to moderately hard water had a higher risk of vascular dementia, compared to those who had hard water supply.
Furthermore, it found those most vulnerable to the potential harmful effects of soft water were people aged living in urban areas and aged over 65.
Soft water contains lower levels of calcium and magnesium.
Scotland, west Wales, Cornwall and northern England are areas that get soft water – but some people living in hard-water areas install water softeners.
The research, supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, tested almost 400,000 people aged between 37 and 73.
Dr Tom Russ, director of the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, told the Daily Mirror: “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.
“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.”
The study is said to be the first to look at the link between water and neurodevelopmental disorders.
It defined soft to moderately hard water as between zero and 120mg calcium carbonate per liter of water, finding it to increase risk of vascular dementia compared to those with hard water supply.
Low levels of magnesium were also associated with a 25 per cent higher risk of dementia.
The authors of the study said: “Our study proposes the role of water with low mineral content as a relevant risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders through long-term and accumulative exposure, strengthening and complementing the human health effect of water hardness.
“We provide new evidence about the harmful effect of soft water on neurodevelopmental disorders that highlight the importance of optimising water quality standards to ensure long-term health benefits.”
However, some scientists have criticised the work.
Dr Emma Anderson, associate professor of epidemiology at King’s College London, told The Mirror: “Overall I think this is a poorly conducted study and not one we should be using to assess whether water hardness should be taken more seriously.”
And Awad hesh Jha, professor of genetic toxicology and ecotoxicology at the University of Plymouth, said: “‘It is speculative to draw conclusions based on such associations and recommend regulations to maintain water hardness in drinking water.”
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