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Comment by lkozloff | Hacker News Reader

So happy to have this small mystery solved. I lived in SE Asia for years where we avoided the local tap water, including for ice at home.

My kids and I observed these ice spikes every morning when I took out the trays to for iced coffees, and I always wondered why I'd never seen them anywhere else in the world.

It's almost a nice retroactive confirmation that the water delivery service we relied on was selling distilled water as advertised!

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You shouldn’t drink distilled water. It’s devoid of minerals so when you drink it, the distilled water sucks minerals from your body to equalise which can cause issues.

That's a myth. Distilled water is perfectly safe to drink, it just doesn't taste very good.

https://www.healthline.com/health/can-you-drink-distilled-wa...

The mineral content in even mineral water (never mind tap water) is miniscule.

Your source confirms that exactly.

"Since distilled water doesn’t contain its own minerals, it has a tendency to pull them from whatever it touches to maintain a balance. So when you drink distilled water, it may pull small amounts of minerals from your body, including from your teeth."

... and then explains that the effect is small enough to not be a problem, so no, it does not confirm that "you shouldn't drink distilled water".

But that it could be a problem. So its not a myth, that it is demineralizing your body. Its a small effect - but its there, and it could have a negative effect on the body.

"The gamma radiation from distant galaxies is not a myth. It's a small effect - but it's there, and it could have a negative effect on the body."

No - some things are small enough that they cannot.

It's better to drink distilled water than contaminated tap water, though.

I also live in SEA. While distilled water is pretty popular (gaining more popularity these days), spring waters are even more popular and widely available (also tastes better IMO).

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