Can You Drink Distilled Water? What Actually Happens to Your Body

You just bought a gallon of distilled water for your CPAP machine or iron, and now you're wondering whether you should drink this instead of your usual bottled or filtered water? It's a fair question, and the answer isn't a simple yes or no.

Short answer: Yes, distilled water is safe to drink. It won't poison you, dehydrate you on its own, or cause sudden health problems. But there are a few nuances worth understanding before you make it your everyday drinking water.

What Makes Distilled Water Different

How distillation works

Distillation is one of the oldest water-purification methods there is. Water is heated until it turns to steam, and that steam is then cooled back into liquid form in a separate container. Because minerals, salts, and most contaminants don't evaporate along with the water, they get left behind. What comes out the other end is about as close to pure H2O as you can get.

What's removed (and what isn't)

Distillation strips out dissolved minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, the same minerals that give tap and spring water their taste. It also removes most heavy metals, bacteria, and dissolved solids. What it generally won't remove are certain volatile organic compounds that share a boiling point close to water's own, which is why some distillers pair the process with a carbon filter as a second step.

Is It Actually Safe to Drink?

Yes, from a toxicity standpoint, distilled water is arguably one of the cleanest options available, since almost nothing is left in it to harm you. Regulatory and health bodies don't classify it as dangerous. The debate isn't about safety in the "will this hurt me today" sense; it's about whether drinking only distilled water, long-term, is the smartest hydration choice.

What the WHO report really said

A 2004 World Health Organization report, "Health Risks from Drinking Demineralised Water," looked into this exact question. In plain terms, the report found that demineralized (including distilled) water isn't inherently harmful, but it can behave differently in the body than mineral-containing water. For example, it may draw small amounts of minerals out of food during cooking, and some studies pointed to a possible link between long-term use of very low-mineral water and mineral loss ,mainly in populations that already had limited mineral intake from their diet. The WHO's conclusion wasn't "avoid distilled water." It was that water shouldn't be your only source of essential minerals, and that this matters most for people whose diets are already lacking.

Possible Downsides of Drinking It Regularly

Electrolyte and mineral considerations

Most people get the bulk of their calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium from food, not water. If your diet is reasonably balanced, drinking distilled water isn't going to create a mineral deficiency on its own. It matters more if you sweat heavily from intense exercise, follow a limited or restrictive diet, or already have an electrolyte imbalance from illness. In those cases, water that contains at least some minerals, or an electrolyte replacement, is the safer everyday choice.

The taste problem (and why it matters more than you think)

Distilled water tastes noticeably flat. That's not just a minor annoyance; taste is one of the biggest drivers of how much water people actually drink. If flat-tasting water makes you drink less overall, that's a bigger risk to your hydration than the mineral content ever was. It's an underrated downside, and most articles on this topic barely mention it.

Distilled Water vs. Purified vs. Tap Water

Who Should Be More Careful With Distilled Water

• People with very restrictive or low-nutrient diets

• Endurance athletes or anyone sweating heavily and regularly

• Anyone advised by a doctor to manage electrolytes closely (certain heart, kidney, or metabolic conditions)

• Infants — pediatricians generally recommend against using distilled water alone for formula preparation long-term without guidance, since infants rely heavily on controlled mineral and fluid intake

Practical Ways to Drink Distilled Water Safely

• Use it as part of your water intake, not the only source; mix with mineral or spring water if you drink it daily

• Add a pinch of a mineral supplement, trace mineral drops, or a small amount of sea salt if it's your main water source

• Prioritize getting minerals from food (leafy greens, dairy or dairy alternatives, nuts, bananas) rather than relying on water for them

• If you drink it purely for taste reasons, try adding a slice of lemon or lime — it also makes it more palatable, which helps you actually drink enough

Common Mistakes People Make

• Assuming "no minerals" means "unsafe" — it doesn't

• Using distilled water exclusively for baby formula without checking with a pediatrician

• Drinking it as their only water source while already eating a low-mineral diet

• Not noticing they're drinking less water overall because of the flat taste, then wondering why they feel off

Quick Checklist: Should You Drink Distilled Water?