BBC: Lithium in drinking water lowers risk of suicide

Mari · 05-02-2009, 05:50 AM

Hi,

Isn't this interesting?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8025454.stm

Quote:

Lithium in water 'curbs suicide'

Drinking water which contains the element lithium may reduce the risk of suicide, a Japanese study suggests.
Researchers examined levels of lithium in drinking water and suicide rates in the prefecture of Oita, which has a population of more than one million.

The suicide rate was significantly lower in those areas with the highest levels of the element, they wrote in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
High doses of lithium are already used to treat serious mood disorders.

But the team from the universities of Oita and Hiroshima found that even relatively low levels appeared to have a positive impact of suicide rates.

Levels ranged from 0.7 to 59 micrograms per litre. The researchers speculated that while these levels were low, there may be a cumulative protective effect on the brain from years of drinking this tap water.

Added element
At least one previous study has suggested an association between lithium in tap water and suicide. That research on data collected from the 1980s also found a significantly lower rate of suicide in areas with relatively high lithium levels . . . ..

I remember that some Texas town seemed to benefit from having natural lithium in their water supply -- violent crime was lowish:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1699579

Quote:

Using data for 27 Texas counties from 1978-1987, it is shown that the incidence rates of suicide, homicide, and rape are significantly higher in counties whose drinking water supplies contain little or no lithium than in counties with water lithium levels ranging from 70-170 micrograms/L; the differences remain statistically significant (p less than 0.01) after corrections for population density.

Is there anything else you would like to see in the drinking water?

M.

BJ · 05-02-2009, 08:55 AM

Just out of curiosity, could the levels be elevated because of lithium prescribed to people leaving their bodies and being returned to the water table via sewers?

I also thought about this:
www.telegraph.co.uk...

If the gold levels are this high in their sewers, you have to wonder what other metals that are not being searched for are leaching into the water. Lithium is an alkali metal, and does combine into isotopes.

Considering all the battery tech that uses lithium now, it is quite possible, in my opinion, that it is coming from the sewer system. The problem is lithium is highly toxic only very slightly above the therapeutic threshold, making it extremely dangerous. Failure to drink, or sweating too much, will cause the lithium concentration to become dangerous or possibly deadly. I take lithium and have to have my levels checked constantly, especially in the summer.

The most common side effects of lithium are thirst and polyuria. So lithium in the water would make people drink more water and get more lithium which makes them drink more water and get more... oh the humanity!

Mari · 05-02-2009, 12:39 PM

Dear BJ,
Gold?! From industrial plants.

Thanks for showing that.
We have too much metal in our drinking water.

I wonder if it is a good thing that people have things like calcium and magnesium in their well water.

http://www.water-research.net/hardness.htm

Quote:

. . . They further state that in some instances, where dissolved calcium and magnesium are very high, water could be a major contributor of calcium and magnesium to the diet.

Researchers have studied water hardness and cardiovascular disease mortality. Such studies have been "epidemiological studies," which are statistical relationship studies.

While some studies suggest a correlation between hard water and lower cardiovascular disease mortality, other studies do not suggest a correlation. The National Research Council states that results at this time are inconclusive and recommends that further studies should be conducted.

M.

BlueMajo · 05-02-2009, 02:16 PM

Can I ask for a lithium latte at starbucks this afternoon !?

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