Consumption of very low-mineral water may threaten cardiovascular health by increasing homocysteine in children.

Introduction: Homocysteine (Hcy) is a critical factor for cardiovascular injury, and the elevation of Hcy in children will inevitably increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. This study explored the effect of very low-mineral water on children's Hcy and cardiovascular health.
Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that recruited two groups of 10-13-year-old children who had consumed direct drinking water (DDW) in school for 4 years. The control group (NW) (119 boys, 110 girls) consumed normal DDW (conductivity 345 μs/cm). The very low-mineral water consumption group (VLW) (223 boys, 208 girls) consumed very low-mineral DDW (conductivity 40.0 μs/cm). Serum Hcy, Hcy metabolites, cofactors of Hcy metabolism, and cardiovascular biomarkers were assessed and standardized by age- and sex-specific Z-scores, and the differences between the two groups were analyzed with independent t -test. The relationships between Hcy metabolism biomarkers and key factors, cardiovascular biomarkers, serum Ca, and mineral intake were analyzed with linear regression.
Results: Compared with the NW group, the VLW group had significantly higher serum Hcy, Apo-B, Apo-B/A1, and oxLDL, and lower serum 1,25,(OH) ₂ D ₃ , vitamin B6 and B12, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and Apo-A1. Serum Hcy was positively associated with serum Apo-B and Apo-B/A1, and negatively associated with Ca intake from water and serum 1,25,(OH) ₂ D ₃ .
Conclusion: This study suggested that drinking very low-mineral water may increase Hcy level and oxidative stress, worsen lipid profile, and threaten the cardiovascular system in children. Reducing 1,25,(OH) ₂ D ₃ , and disordering of calcium metabolism might play important roles. This study first established an association between demineralized drinking water and cardiovascular health in children, suggesting a new environmental concern risk to cardiovascular health.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 Huang, Tan, Wang, Lan, Luo, Wang, Zeng and Shu.)