Home Health Experts identify shocking dementia trigger in some TAP WATERS – map shows worst affected areas of UK

Experts identify shocking dementia trigger in some TAP WATERS – map shows worst affected areas of UK

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A study suggests that people who live in areas of

Millions of people may be up to a third more likely to develop dementia from tap water, new research has found.

A study, the first of its kind, suggests that people living in “softer water” areas of the UK (40 per cent of the UK population, around 27 million Britons) may be at higher risk from suffering from this degenerative disease because the water they drink contains lower levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

Scientists suggest these minerals may have a protective effect on the brain and say low levels could also cause water pipes to corrode faster, allowing toxic elements like lead to leach into the body.

Soft water areas include Scotland, most of Yorkshire, Cornwall and the west and south coasts of Wales.

Meanwhile, thousands of people in hard water areas are installing water softeners in their homes to remove magnesium and calcium and prevent limescale buildup.

The research found that people with soft water had structural changes in their brain in 20 different areas and may also be at risk of other neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

The study was based on data from almost 400,000 people in the UK and was carried out by a team of scientists from Imperial College London and China.

Dr Tom Russ, director of the Alzheimer’s Dementia Research Center Scotland, said: “There is more work to be done on any environmental factors that may be linked to dementia, and this shows that water can potentially be part of it.” . It is important to recognize that the study does not prove that the type of water contributes to the development of dementia.

A study suggests that people living in “softer water” areas of the UK (40 per cent of the UK population, around 27 million Britons) may be at higher risk of contracting this degenerative disease (image file)

Soft water areas include Scotland, most of Yorkshire, Cornwall and the west and south coasts of Wales.

Soft water areas include Scotland, most of Yorkshire, Cornwall and the west and south coasts of Wales.

“There is still a much higher risk of dementia due to other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and most people should not worry too much about the effect tap water may have. If has any effect, it will be very small.”

Around a million people live with some form of dementia in the UK. This number is expected to increase to 1.4 million by 2030.

Research suggests that about 45 percent of cases can be prevented by leading a healthier lifestyle, challenging the brain, and staying connected to other people.

Why is some water soft?

Water is soft or hard due to the chemical elements it contains, and that depends on the geology.

Hard water forms in areas with limestone or chalk, and rivers help release calcium and magnesium. Increases the amount of lime that accumulates in kettles and washing machines.

Hard water is considered better to drink because it has less sodium than soft water, but soft water is considered easier on the skin.

Scientists at King’s College London found that removing calcium and magnesium from the water supply can reduce irritation.

Homeowners can pay around £500 to change their hot water supply from hard to soft water. A soft water converter uses a resin to extract calcium and magnesium from the water. They are then filtered with a brine solution.

But it is believed that there are also other environmental factors.

Dr. Russ’s research has found links between areas with high levels of aluminum and fluoride in drinking water and an increased risk of dying from dementia.

Others have found a link between hard water and a reduced risk of heart disease.

But this latest study is one of the first to look at the impact of the calcium content of tap water on neurodegenerative diseases and in the UK population.

Publishing their research, scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine wrote: “We provide new evidence on the harmful effect of soft water on neurodegenerative diseases that highlight the importance of optimizing water quality standards to ensure long-term health benefits.

UK regulations do not specify standards for the level of minerals that drinking water must contain. Water is classified as “soft” or “hard” depending on local geology.

Around 60 per cent of tap water consumed in the UK comes from areas with hard water.

The study was based on data taken from the UK Biobank, which is carrying out ongoing research on 500,000 adults across the country. The scientists compared the address of their homes and the details of their water supply with the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.

They found that 2,389 people were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, 1,278 with vascular dementia and 366 with multiple sclerosis.

One analysis found that those exposed to soft water (defined as between zero and 60 mg of calcium carbonate per liter of water) had a 34 percent higher risk of vascular dementia compared to those who had a hard water supply, defined as between 120 and 300 mg. /L. Low calcium concentrations were also associated with a 63 percent higher risk of dementia overall and a 53 percent higher risk of MS.

Low magnesium levels were associated with a 25 percent increased risk of Alzheimer’s.

UK regulations do not specify standards for the level of minerals that drinking water must contain. Water is classified as

UK regulations do not specify standards for the level of minerals that drinking water must contain. Water is classified as “soft” or “hard” depending on local geology.

Brain scans of more than 30,000 people were also analyzed to see if there were physical differences. They found that people who lived in areas with soft to moderately hard water had several parts of the brain with reduced volume compared to those who lived in hard water areas.

But Awad hesh Jha, professor of Genetic Toxicology and Ecotoxicology at the University of Plymouth, said there are many factors involved in the development of diseases such as dementia.

“It is speculative to draw conclusions based on these types of associations and recommend regulations to maintain the hardness of drinking water,” he said.

The most populated areas of the UK, including the South East, the East of England, the M4 corridor and most of the south coast, live in hard water areas. The West Midlands, Liverpool, parts of Devon, Northumberland and East Wales have a medium to strong supply.

Dr Emma Anderson, associate professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London, said the way the study was carried out was “problematic”.

“Overall, I think this is a poorly conducted study and we should not use it to evaluate whether water hardness should be taken more seriously,” he added.

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