Silver Water Benefits

Does drinking water from a silver cup make you healthier? While you might be hard-pressed to find a definitive answer, some people believe that silver particles within water benefit your health. But others are skeptical of the claims and also point out the potential dangers.

The health benefits of consuming silver particles within water, whether it's from a silver cup or silver added to water, is questionable. Plus, it may result in serious side effects.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reference colloidal silver, which is a product that contains tiny silver particles in a liquid, as lacking any evidence to support the health-related claims. In fact, they question the safety of this product and list several serious side effects such as argyria, which is a bluish-gray discoloration of the skin.

Argyria happens when silver builds up in your body's tissues. They also point out that silver is not a nutritionally essential mineral and there are no known function or benefits if you take it by mouth. Further, the Mayo Clinic says that colloidal silver products may interact with certain medications like penicillamine, quinolone antibiotics, tetracycline and thyroxine medications.

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One possible pro to drinking water from a silver cup applies to certain people living in areas where groundwater is the main source of drinking water. A December 2012 study published in the Journal of Communicable Diseases looked at the effect of storing water in silver containers on enteric pathogens, which are known to cause gastrointestinal infections.

The findings indicate that there is a potential for silver containers to help disinfect drinking water, especially in areas with poor hygiene and sanitation. Some people will put a silver coin in drinking water to mimic the same response as drinking from a silver container.

A thorough search produces minimal scientific research on the health benefits of drinking silver water. That said, there is plenty of anecdotal comments from people claiming a long list of benefits. Unfortunately, there is a lack of evidence that drinking water from a silver cup is good for you.

However, there are plenty of reasons why you should include regular drinking water in your daily diet. In addition to flushing out wastes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says water helps lubricate and cushion your joints and it also protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues.

Read more: Why Is Drinking Water Good for Me and How Soon Will I See a Difference?

The amount of water you need to drink in a day will depend on a variety of lifestyle factors and living conditions such as your activity level, the climate you live in, medications, and current health conditions. There are also instances when drinking more water is necessary, such as when you have a fever, diarrhea or you're vomiting.

But in general, the Mayo Clinic references data that says men should drink about 15.5 cups of fluids a day and women about 11.5 cups of fluids per day. While consuming 11 to 15 cups of water in one day may seem like a lot, it's more manageable if you divide it up evenly throughout the day.

For example, make sure you're drinking water before, during and after a workout. Also, start your day with a glass of lemon water and drink water between meals.