JERUSALEM, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A recent Israeli scientific research showed that people who drink desalinated water are more likely to have heart diseases.

The reason was a lack of magnesium in desalinated water. Magnesium is essential for over 300 metabolic processes, regulation of vascular tone, and insulin sensitivity, according to the Israeli Channel 12 on Wednesday.

The large-scale study was based on data from Israel's biggest state-mandated health service organization Clalit and conducted from 2004 to 2013 with 178,000 respondents aged between 25 and 76.

Currently, Israel has the highest level of water desalination in the Western world. Around 70 percent of the country's public tap water is desalinated Mediterranean sea water.