14 DAY TRIAL // An ongoing clinical trial at the National Taiwan University Hospital is expected to clarify whether or not drinking sea water could prove beneficial to one's health.
Researchers working on this project say that, according to several previous investigations, it is likely that sea water could be used to treat indigestion. What's more, it could help reduce cancer and stomach ulcers risk.
The scientists detail that, as part of this clinical trial, they are asking a total of 60 volunteers to gulp down a glass of desalted deep-sea water four times a day, Daily Mail reports.
Three of these glasses are to be consumed about an hour before meals, whereas the fourth is to be drunk precisely before bedtime.
The goal is to figure out how sea water influences bacteria population inside the human stomach. Specifically, the researchers are looking to determine if this liquid can rid the stomach of bacteria known to the scientific community as Helicobacter pylori.
Apparently, these microorganisms are surprisingly common. Thus, they have been documented to infect about 4 in 10 people.
15% of the individuals who carry them inside their bodies sooner or later develop ulcers, most likely because the bacteria damage the stomach lining.
This bacteria-induced damage to the lining of the stomach is believed to also make people more likely to have trouble digesting their food and develop cancer at some point in their lives.
By the looks of it, experiments carried out on animals have shown that sea water can significantly reduce the number of Helicobacter pylori bacteria inside the stomach.
Odds are it owes this ability to the fact that it is rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium and other such minerals.
However, further investigations are needed before desalted deep-sea water can be recommended as a treatment for indigestion, and viewed as a means to reduce cancer and ulcers risk.
“This looks like fascinating work, and it is interesting that it reduces numbers of the bacteria. However, we don't know yet if the bacteria numbers increase when people stop drinking the water.”
“At this stage, we simply do not know how useful it will be. And one of the problems is that this water won't be regulated as a medicine so people will need to be wary of claims made for it,” specialist Dr. John Mason at the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust wished to stress.