Is sparkling water bad for your gut?

Bubbly waters are considered the healthy alternative for many sugar-filled drinks, but are they as healthy as we think? And the million dollar question, are they good for your gut or not?

My passion is to work with people like you whose health symptoms–like gut/digestive issues, excess weight, low energy, and skin & sleep problems–are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
Staying hydrated is an essential pillar to you feeling great. With carbonated flavored waters being a popular way to hydrate, and one of my personal favorites in warmer weather, I know that you’ll appreciate diving into this topic with me.

Carbonation & Your Body

There seem to be a lot of concerns circulating around that carbonation isn’t good for the body. These concerns include that it erodes teeth, makes bones lose density, damages the gut, imbalances the pH, and even that carbonated water is dehydrating.
When I dug into the research, these don’t hold strong.
Here’s what’s what.

Gut health?

Overall, bubbly water seems to get a green light when it comes to the gut. Some studies have shown that it actually helps improve constipation and upset stomach (aka functional dyspepsia), reduce nausea, and aid in digestion (gallbladder emptying).
However, if gas and bloating are a problem for you or if you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), the increased carbonation in fizzy water may increase bloating so avoid it if you notice that it increases indigestion or bloating in you.

May Reduce Appetite

Interestingly, some people find it helpful in curbing the appetite to consume fizzy waters so even though no food was eaten, there was an increased feeling of fullness.
Bubbly water is hydrating. However, since it also tends to be more filling than regular water you still want to make sure that you drink enough water throughout your day (bubbly or still). About half your body weight in ounces is a good goal.

Tooth health?

Carbonated water is slightly acidic and some research does show that over a long time, it may contribute to enamel erosion, but not dissolve your teeth like the soda experiments showed. If you are concerned, don’t make bubbly water your primary drink and when you drink it, use a straw.

Bone health?

Whereas sodas which are high in phosphoric acid are associated with being harmful to bone health, unsweetened bubbly waters don’t seem to cause harm to bones. There is research suggesting that drinking a lot of bubbly water can impair calcium absorption but this didn’t translate to any adverse bone metabolism or density. If you prefer to drink a lot of fizzy water and are concerned, be sure to eat a great diet with plenty of calcium/mineral rich foods.

Best bubbly choices

When you are thirsty, the best drink is filtered water, but that being said, there are lots of great options for when you want to kick your heels up in the beverage department.

Best bets are:

• Mineral water (naturally bubbly and full of minerals)
• Speaking of minerals, skip the bubbly drinks with added sodium (unless naturally occurring like in mineral water) and use quality sea salt with your meals instead.
• Unsweetened drinks (no natural or artificial sweeteners).
• Zero calories (unless you are trying to increase your calories).
• No artificial colors or additives.
• Plain or flavored with natural flavors (flavors aren’t always good, so if your favorite bubbly beverage has them, email or call the company to ask what the ingredients are. I’ve contacted both La Croix and Waterloo and was pleased with theirs being derived from heating the skin or rind of the fruit).
• Read labels and make sure nothing nasty is being added!

Be sure to check out the 2020 Consumer Report on PFA contamination levels in different brands!

I hope you found this information helpful.
If you would like to explore how to take your health to the next level faster, let’s chat about it!
You can set up a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session with me here. Currently I am booking out 2-3 weeks, so book your spot here right away if you’d like my support.

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca