- Carbonated water, also
known as sparkling water, and club soda, fizzy water, is a good alternative
to sugary soft drinks. However, concerns have been raised that it's actually not that
good for your health. Now that's what I'm
exploring in this video, and to be honest, I was quite
surprised with what I found. To understand how it effects health, we first have to understand how it's made. Carbonated water is water
that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under
pressure to add bubbles. Now they usually have salt
added to improve the taste, and sometimes small amounts of
other minerals are included. Although I should note, natural
sparkling mineral waters such as Perrier and San Pellegrino naturally contains minerals
in softer compounds. So tonic water is different again. It's a form of carbonated
water that contains a bitter compound called quinine. Along with sugar or
high-fructose corn syrup. Now when carbon dioxide
gas and water react, they produce a weak acid
called carbonic acid. Carbonic acid has been shown to stimulate the same nerve receptors in your mouth as mustard and cinnamon, and is what triggers
that prickly sensation that people can find either
irritating or enjoyable. Now that carbonic acid makes
the PH of carbonated water about three to four. Which means it's slightly acidic. Some people are concerned by that, but first I wanna clarify that drinking an acidic beverage does not
make your body more acidic. Our kidneys and lungs remove
excess carbon dioxide. Which ensures that our blood always stays slightly alkaline regardless
of what we eat or drink. Okay, but does it affect dental health? While the acidity of carbonated water doesn't affect your cells, it can have a tiny effect on your teeth. Since the enamel that protects teeth is directly exposed to the acid. This study found that
sparkling mineral water damaged enamel slightly
more than still water, but most notably it was
100 times less damaging than a sugary soft drink. So really it's the sugar
in drinks that does virtually all the damage,
not the carbonation. In this study, they found that a non carbonated sweet beverage, which was Gatorade, was more harmful than a carbonated sugar-free drink, in this case, Diet Coke. Now for the record,
Gatorade was even worse for tooth decay than regular Coke, but Red Bull was the worst. Basically plain sparkling water poses very little risk to dental health. If you're still concerned, you can try only drinking
sparkling water with meals or you can simply rinse your mouth out with plain water after you drink it. Does carbonated water affect digestion? It might seem surprising
but studies suggest that carbonated or sparkling water may actually improve swallowing ability in both young and older adults. In one study, 16 healthy
people were asked to repeatedly swallow different liquids. Carbonated water showed
the strongest ability to stimulate the nerves responsible
for swallowing function. Other studies have found
cold temperature of the water strengthens those beneficial effect too. Sparkling water may also
help you feel full for longer than plain water does
because it helps food remain in the first part
of your stomach for longer. Which can trigger a sensation of fullness. This was demonstrated
in a controlled study of 19 healthy young women, but larger studies are
needed to confirm it. Sparkling water may also help
with chronic constipation and related digestive
symptoms like stomach pain. Small controlled trials have
found significant benefits when comparing sparkling with still water. Particularly in elderly people. The last topic I want to deep
dive into is bone health. Many people believe that
carbonated beverages are bad for bone heath because
of their high acid content. However, research suggests
that the carbonation isn't to blame. A large observational study of more than 2,500 people found that
cola was the only beverage associated with significantly
lower bone mineral density. Carbonated water appeared to
have no effect on bone health. Unlike carbonated water and clear soda, cola drinks contained
a lot of phosphorous. The researchers posed
that the cola drinkers may not have enough calcium
compared to phosphorus. Which is a potential risk
factor for bone loss. Interestingly, a controlled study of 18 post menopausal women found that drinking one liter, or
34 ounces of sodium rich sparkling water for eight weeks had better calcium retention
and no negative effects on bone health compared to those drinking plain mineral water. If we also consider the animal studies, which tend to find carbonated
water is beneficial for bone health, we can confidently
conclude that it's neutral for bone health. The same study we just looked at also found that carbonated
water had positive effects on some heart health markets like cholesterol and some
inflammatory markets. So overall I think we can
say that it's not any worse than plain or still water. Personally, I think it's gross, but if you enjoy it, there's
no reason to give it up. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this or found it useful, be sure to leave us a thumbs up and if you haven't already, you can subscribe to the Authority
Nutrition YouTube channel by clicking that big red
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