Is drinking 2L of mineral water containing 1.3 mg/L lithium daily a viable method for obtaining the benefits of low-dose lithium supplementation?

Viability of Low-Dose Lithium Supplementation Through Mineral Water

Drinking 2L of mineral water containing 1.3 mg/L lithium daily is not a viable method for obtaining therapeutic benefits of low-dose lithium supplementation, as this provides only 2.6 mg total daily lithium, which is significantly below the minimum effective dose needed for clinical benefits.

Understanding Lithium Dosing and Benefits

Therapeutic vs. Low-Dose Lithium

• Therapeutic lithium dosing (for bipolar disorder):

  • Serum concentration: 0.6-1.2 mM 1
  • Typical daily dose: 550-1300 mg lithium carbonate 1
  • Requires careful monitoring due to narrow therapeutic window

• Low-dose lithium (for potential health benefits):

  • Defined as ≤0.5 mM serum concentration 2
  • Still requires significantly more lithium than available in typical mineral water

Mineral Water Lithium Content Analysis

The proposed mineral water consumption (2L daily containing 1.3 mg/L lithium) would provide:

• Total daily lithium intake: 2.6 mg
• This is far below even the lowest therapeutic doses used in clinical settings
• For comparison, a provisional recommended daily intake of 14.3 μg/kg body weight has been suggested 3, which would be approximately 1 mg for a 70 kg adult

Health Benefits of Water Consumption

While the lithium content in this mineral water is insufficient for therapeutic benefits, increased water consumption itself offers health benefits:

• General hydration guidelines:

  • Women should consume at least 1.6 L of drinks daily 4
  • Men should consume at least 2.0 L of drinks daily 4
  • Total recommended water intake (including from food): 2.7 L for women and 3.7 L for men 4, 5

• Kidney stone prevention:

  • Increased fluid intake to achieve >2 L of urine per day reduces kidney stone recurrence (12.1% vs. 27.0%) 4
  • Additional 1.3 L water intake daily shows beneficial effects on crystallization risk indices in healthy subjects 6

Safety Considerations

While the proposed lithium intake from mineral water is too low for therapeutic benefit, it's also well below toxicity thresholds:

• Lithium toxicity begins at approximately 10 mg/L in blood serum 3
• Mild lithium poisoning: 10 mg/L in serum
• Confusion and speech impairment: 15 mg/L
• Risk of death: 20 mg/L 3

The 2.6 mg daily from mineral water would not approach these levels.

Alternative Approaches

For those interested in potential benefits of lithium:

• Consult with a healthcare provider about appropriate lithium supplementation if there's a medical indication
• Recognize that therapeutic lithium requires medical supervision due to its narrow therapeutic window
• Consider that even low-dose lithium supplementation would likely require higher doses than available in mineral water

Conclusion

The proposed mineral water consumption would provide inadequate lithium for therapeutic or low-dose benefits. However, increased water consumption itself offers health benefits, particularly for kidney stone prevention and general hydration. If seeking lithium's potential benefits, medical consultation and appropriate supplementation would be necessary.