If it’s just plain carbonated water then it’s fine. It doesn’t contribute to calcium loss in bones like soda, from added phosphorus, and it doesn’t have acidity to destroy teeth enamel.
It is adding extra gases to the system however, and can cause bloating.
The flavored sparkling waters usually have extra ingredients that make them a lesser soda more or less. With processed sugars.
It is safe and harmless, but I would not drink it all the time. Because the CO2 dissolved in the water that makes those bubbles, is now getting absorbed in your blood. This is perfectly harmless and safe to have a little bit sometimes. But I wonder if over a long time of large amounts if it could be bad, if it would mess with the balance of CO2 and oxygen. You probably just breathe out all the CO2 in a perfectly safe way, but I would limit it just to be careful.
I don’t drink it and have never researched into it but as far as I know all sparkling water companies(at least in Italy) add fluoride to it.
Ol argedco luciftias wrote: But I wonder if over a long time of large amounts if it could be bad, if it would mess with the balance of CO2 and oxygen. You probably just breathe out all the CO2 in a perfectly safe way, but I would limit it just to be careful.
Interesting thought, but you’d have to drink hundreds of carbonated beverages a day to cause an imbalance. Most of the carbonation doesn’t even get ingested and the little bit that does has almost no noticeable impact on our co2 blood levels. It’s just far too little and as you said is just expelled normally through breathing or belching.
The worry with sodas is the acidity because co2 gets turned to acid in the mouth through proteins. As well as other acidic compounds in sodas that will have very noticeable detrimental effects on teeth enamel, which is something that isn’t a concern for sparkling water. The acid isn’t strong enough to cause damage and is neutralized more or less by saliva.
Drinking sodas to me is like drinking sweetened cleaning chemicals. Absolutely horrible. Also I personally don’t like the sensation of drinking carbonated beverages, it feels disgusting, but if a person likes it, then sparkling water is more or less fine as long as there are no additional additives.
I drink it once in a while (fluoride-free) and it aids in digestion. Once in a while means when I eat slightly more than usual, like festivities. I keep in mind in any case never to fill my stomach to 100% capacity, as that is a door to health issues (for everyone.)
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