Q. I'm concerned about the quality of my drinking water. I've heard that water purified by reverse osmosis water filters may not be good for me. Is this true? What are the pros and cons of reverse osmosis filters?

A. I'm often asked this question; there's a lot of controversy about drinking water purified by reverse osmosis. Here are the basic pros and cons of reverse osmosis filters:

Most reverse osmosis filters are energy efficient and relatively inexpensive. They can be purchased for your home for under $300. They last a long time and the filters need to be changed only about once or twice a year.

Reverse osmosis filters are considered to be the most effective means of purifying your water. They typically have three filters — a sedimentation filter, a reverse osmosis filter and a carbon filter — which remove all potentially problematic elements from your water, such as chlorine, parasites, bacteria, viruses and toxins. They eliminate all organic pollutants and chemicals because they remove 100 percent of the organic material.

On the other hand, reverse osmosis filters are not necessarily water efficient; some waste approximately three gallons of water every day. They may also require a plumber to install.

The main drawback, however, regarding reverse osmosis filters — and this is where the controversy lies — is that they remove more than just the undesirable elements from your water. They also remove some beneficial ingredients —most notably minerals. The fact that they remove 100 percent of the organic material, which proponents of reverse osmosis regard as an advantage, is believed by others to be their biggest disadvantage. Water without trace minerals is certainly not natural. Reverse osmosis filtration, like water distillation, was not originally developed for human water consumption; it was developed primarily for industrial use in printing and photo processing.

Since water filtered by reverse osmosis lacks minerals, which are alkaline, it can be acidic. As a result, your body's mineral stores could potentially be leached from your teeth and bones in order to buffer (make more alkaline) the acidic water from reverse osmosis. This could eventually increase your risk of osteoporosis, and increase overall inflammation in your body.

There is a health tradeoff with reverse osmosis water filters, and many factors need to be taken into consideration. The more informed you are, the better you can weigh their potential advantages and disadvantages. Whether the benefits are worth the disadvantages may ultimately depend on your specific situation: which pollutants may be in your water in the first place (which varies from one location to another), your diet, how you supplement your diet with minerals, your lifestyle and your overall health.

Laurie Steelsmith is a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist in Honolulu, as well as author of the book Natural Choices for Women's Health, published by Random House. You can reach her and read her past columns at www.DrSteelsmith.com. This column is for information only. Consult your health provider for medical advice.