Does sparkling water affect blood sugar

I’ve become a fan of flavored seltzer water. With flavors like lime, pomegranate, green apple, and, yes, even eggnog (at holiday time), one can never get bored. Also, thanks to seltzer, I’ve been able to wean myself off Diet Coke to some degree. But is carbonated water really all that good? And what’s the difference, anyway, between club soda, seltzer, and tonic water?

Know Your Fizzy Waters
“Drink more water.” “Drink water instead of soda or juice.” You hear these phrases a lot, especially if you have diabetes. Regular soda and other soft drinks, along with fruit juice, contain a lot of carbohydrate and calories, which equals higher blood glucose levels and can add pounds to the scale. But sometimes, plain old water is well, a little too plain. Fizzy waters like seltzer and club soda at least provide a bit more interest. What’s the difference, though?

Seltzer water. Seltzer water is regular water to which carbon dioxide gas has been added. It usually does not contain any minerals. Seltzer water comes “plain” as well as “flavored,” usually with natural extracts that don’t add any carbs or calories. Seltzer water is sometimes called sparkling water, too.

Club soda. Often used interchangeably with seltzer, club soda is also water to which carbon dioxide gas is added. However, club soda usually contains added minerals, such as potassium bicarbonate or potassium sulfate, which add a subtle flavor, as well as some sodium.

Mineral water. If your tastes run to Perrier or San Pellegrino, you’re drinking water that contains naturally-dissolved minerals and that comes from a natural underground source. Mineral waters cost more than seltzer or club soda.

Tonic water. Tonic water is carbonated water that contains quinine, and, often, a little bit of sugar (or, more likely, high fructose corn syrup), along with citric acid and sodium benzoate. Quinine adds a bitter taste, making tonic water a great pairing with gin for, you guessed it, a gin and tonic. Tonic water, by the way, was originally used to help ward off malaria and reduce fever and inflammation. Diet tonic water contains a nonnutritive sweetener, such as aspartame or saccharin.

Healthy or Not?
Whatever your choice of carbonated waters is, they provide refreshment and flavor. But many people believe that these fizzy waters aren’t healthy, and unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation on the Internet about them. So let’s try to clear up any confusion.

Carbonated waters don’t hurt your teeth. One of the myths out there is that drinking fizzy water will erode tooth enamel. This probably stems from the fact that when carbon dioxide gas is pumped into water, small amounts of carbonic acid are formed. But studies have shown that this small amount of acid doesn’t hurt your teeth. In fact, fizzy waters contain calcium and other minerals (albeit, in small amounts) that can actually buffer the carbonic acid and protect tooth enamel. On the other hand both regular and diet soda contain phosphoric acid and/or citric acid, which can be harmful to dental enamel.

Carbonated water is good for digestion. Got an upset stomach? Feeling queasy? Ate too much fatty or spicy food? Rather than reach for the antacids, try drinking a glass of seltzer. Researchers have found that people with both indigestion and constipation who drank at least 1 1/2 liters of carbonated water every day for 15–30 days had a big improvement in their symptoms compared to people who drank regular tap water.

Carbonated water may lower heart disease risk. This may sound odd, but in a study where postmenopausal women were given a carbonated mineral water to drink, after two months, these women had lower LDL (“bad”) and higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol level, as well as lower fasting glucose levels, compared to women who drank regular water. The mineral water used in this study contained bicarbonate, sodium, and chloride. It’s thought that the alkaline pH of the water affected absorption and excretion of cholesterol.

A Few Last Words About Carbonated Water
Carbonated waters do not leech calcium from bones, nor do they contribute to kidney stone formation. However, there may be people who need to limit their intake of fizzy water.

If you have irritable bowel syndrome, you might want to go easy on all fizzy drinks as they can make you even more bloated than you already may be. People with acid reflux should be careful about carbonated beverages, as drinking them may sometimes aggravate symptoms. Also, if you need to watch your sodium intake, go for seltzer instead of club soda. Club soda contains about 60 to 80 milligrams of sodium per serving, whereas seltzer has none.

All in all, though, carbonated waters are a great way to help you meet your fluid needs without adding carbs and calories. Cheers!

Both natural and artificial sparkling water contains dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2), which is what causes the water to fizz.

Natural sparkling water occurs when volcanic gases dissolve into natural water sources, whereas pressurised CO2 is injected into the water to create artificial sparkling water.

Carbonated water often contains minerals such as calcium or sodium. This can either occur naturally for all carbonated water or the minerals can be added when artificially made.

There are numerous discussions surrounding the health risks of drinking sparkling water, but how does it compare to other fizzy drinks? Let’s take a look.

Health risks

Drinking water is vital for survival yet the carbonation in sparkling water has been linked to numerous health risks.

Bone health

Some researchers believe carbonated drinks that contain phosphorus, such as soda, can cause a decrease of calcium in bones. Nevertheless, sparkling water contains no phosphorus, so does not pose any risk to bone health.

Instead, some carbonated waters have been linked to improving bone health, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. They suggest that sparkling water should not replace other beverages which are rich in calcium, such as milk.

Tooth decay

CO2 provides the water with acidic properties which is widely known to effect and damage the enamel of teeth.

Research from 2017 concluded that artificial sparkling water caused erosion to teeth. The extent of erosion increased when greater levels of CO2 was present in the water. Flavoured sparkling water can be even more detrimental to tooth decay due to the addition of citric acid or sugars.

Nevertheless, using a straw when drinking carbonated water can reduce the decay of enamel, as it prevents contact between the water and the teeth.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

For people suffering with IBS, drinking sparkling water can trigger and intensify symptoms, so it is suggested that they should avoid any carbonated drinks.

Weight gain

There are differing opinions and studies on whether drinking sparkling water causes weight gain.

According to a Japanese study, drinking sparkling water causes young girls to feel full, yet this study was small and did not compare the results to the effects on males.

Although sparkling water contains no calories, additives such as sweeteners and sugars can increase the amount of sodium and calories. Nevertheless, sparkling water has not been found to cause weight gain.

Research has indicated that sparkling water can cause an increase of ghrelin, which causes hunger. However, this was an animal study so cannot be verified to have the same effects on humans.

Sparkling water vs other drinks

Due to plain sparkling water comprising of only water and CO2, it is viewed as a healthier drink option as it contains no additives such as sugar or sweeteners and will hydrate the body the same as still water.

When compared to other drinks, water was the healthiest option as it contained the minimum of 0 teaspoons of sugar and 0 calories. Whereas, a sports drink contained teaspoons 2 teaspoons and 75 calories per approximately 355ml, cola contained 10.25 teaspoons of sugar and 150 calories, and orange soda contained 13 teaspoons and 210 calories in the same serving amount.

What are the health risks of sugary drinks?

Consuming a great deal of sugary drinks can cause various health risks including, but not limited to, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and gout.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugary drinks are the main source of sugar in the American Diet. They state that around 63% of young people drink a sugary beverage containing 143 calories per day.

The organisation suggested that people are more likely to drink sugary beverages if they smoke, are sleep deprived, do not do enough exercise, frequently eat fast food or rarely eat fruit.

What healthy flavours can be added to sparkling water?

There are numerous ways that you can add healthy flavours to sparkling water.

You could add 100% fruit juice (for example pomegranate), vegetables (for example cucumber), fruit (for example lemon or strawberries), or even herbs (for example mint). Adding these healthy flavours also have the advantage of extra vitamins and minerals.

Summary

Overall, sparkling water does not cause risk to bone health, however, it can contribute to tooth decay and trigger IBS symptoms.

More studies on sparkling water and weight gain should be completed to identify any effects, but numerous other beverages have been proven to contribute to health risks.

Sparking water is clearly a healthier alternative to sugary drinks and flavours can be added to water which will make them just as enjoyable.

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