Dyslipidemia and the Consumption of Mineral Waters: A Narrative Review

Consumption of mineral waters has been associated with beneficial effects on metabolic health. Accordingly, this paper reviews studies focusing on the relationship between mineral water intake and clinically relevant blood lipid markers in participants with varying health statuses, including total, chylomicron-, LDL-, HDL-, and VLDL-cholesterol, as well as total, VLDL-, and chylomicron-triglycerides. Articles were identified through searches in Scopus and PubMed according to predefined eligibility criteria, resulting in the inclusion of 17 studies with diverse designs, populations, intervention waters, and control conditions. Most intervention waters were bicarbonate-rich and exhibited medium to high mineralization levels (three broad hydrochemical patterns emerged across the studies). While some studies reported improvements in lipid-related biomarkers following mineral water consumption, substantial heterogeneity in participant characteristics, study design, intervention duration, water composition, and assessed outcomes precludes definitive conclusions. The most consistently reported findings were reductions in total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations, whereas changes in HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid ratios were less frequently assessed and/or showed less consistent results across studies. Differences in hydrochemical profiles, population characteristics, and methodological approaches likely contributed to the variability in the findings. Overall, the available evidence remains suggestive but inconsistent and is insufficient to establish a causal or clinically meaningful lipid-lowering effect of mineral water consumption. Important knowledge gaps remain regarding the specific minerals involved, dose–response relationships, underlying mechanisms, and the long-term clinical relevance of the reported findings.