Drinking enough is important – but which is better: still water or carbonated water? A common assumption: carbonated water is unhealthy because it attacks your teeth, acidifies the body and makes you fat. What’s true about the myths about sparkling water?
Whether in apple spritzer or pure, carbonated water is popular in Germany. Sparkling water goes by many names: sparkling water, soda water, seltzer water or bitzel water. No matter what the carbonated water is called, the process for producing it is always the same:
The fizz is created when carbon dioxide (CO2) combines with water (H2O). Carbon dioxide (H2CO3) can form naturally in areas where volcanoes were once active. Most supermarket bottled water uses pressure to pressurize CO2 into bottles.
Carbonated or non-carbonated – which is healthier? Carbonated water: Is sparkling water unhealthy?
The term carbonic acid is correct – but it sounds more dangerous than it is: carbonic acid is only found in traces in sparkling water. Carbonated water is made by adding carbon dioxide (also known as carbon dioxide) to water. This creates carbonic acid very briefly, but it breaks down very quickly (within nanoseconds). The excess CO2 gradually escapes in the form of small bubbles. What hisses when you open the bottle and what we commonly call carbon dioxide is actually carbon dioxide. And experts agree that this has no harmful effects on the body.
There are still some persistent myths surrounding sparkling water. Here are the facts:
Is carbonated water bad for your teeth?
Myth 1: The acid in mineral water is said to attack tooth enamel and make it more susceptible to tooth decay.
Short answer: Whether carbonated water attacks tooth enamel is extremely controversial. This has not yet been shown in reality and dentists are giving the all-clear.
Background: German and American dentists consider carbon dioxide to be harmless, but a study from the “Korean Journal of Orthodontics” comes to the conclusion that mineral water can pose a risk to etched or sealed tooth enamel. The fizz could therefore affect the microhardness of the tooth enamel surface and loosen material from seals or seals. We wanted to make sure whether carbon dioxide is unhealthy and asked dentists:
- Dentists give the all-clear: “Carbon dioxide is not harmful to your teeth, it is ‘just’ CO2.”explains Roland Frankenberger, President of the German Society for Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine (DGZMK).
- “Carbonated mineral water is little or not at all erosive – the same also applies to beer,” says the Federal Dental Association (BZÄK). You can find a good overview of the erosive potential of various drinks, foods and medications here. This also shows that only mineral water with added lemon attacks tooth enamel.
- And Bianca Göpner-Fleige, a dentist from the patient advisory service of the Berlin Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists (KZV), also says clearly in an interview with Utopia: “Carbonated water is completely harmless to our teeth.”
However, she warns: “When it comes to drinks that contain citric or phosphoric acid (cola drinks), the acids can attack tooth enamel. If the drinks contain additional sugar, the risk increases even further.” Even if you often drink orange juice or lemon water for breakfast, you should be careful and wait at least half an hour before brushing your teeth after drinking. Otherwise, the acid can roughen the tooth enamel so that the toothbrush could sand it off.
Does carbonated water make you fat?
Myth 2: Those who drink carbonated water gain weight more easily.
Short answer: No matter whether with or without sparkling water: water contains no calories.
Background: The connection between carbon dioxide and weight gain is actually only suggested by a study in the journal “Obesity Research & Clinical Practice” from 2017. However, this is often and gladly quoted. Accordingly, carbonic acid expands the stomach and puts pressure on the cells that are responsible for producing the hormone ghrelin. Ghreliln is a hormone that stimulates the appetite. However, the scientists only conducted research with 16 rats and 20 students for their study. The results are therefore not meaningful enough and further research is required.
In any case, the fact is: water contains no calories and even contributes to a feeling of satiety if you drink sparkling water directly before eating.
Is sparkling water bad for your stomach?
Myth 3: If we drink soda and have to burp, stomach acid can also come with it. This can lead to heartburn.
Short answer: If you have a sensitive stomach or suffer from reflux, you shouldn’t drink too much sparkling water. There is no danger for everyone else.
Background: Anyone who drinks sparkling water absorbs a gas (CO2) – and that has to come out again. Some of it enters the blood through the digestive tract and is then exhaled through the lungs. The rest escapes through belching and flatulence. As a rule, this is not a problem – sparkling water is therefore no more unhealthy than tap water or still water.
However, for people who suffer from heartburn, mineral water can have an unpleasant side effect: When you belch, stomach acid can get into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
The consumer advice center advises: “If you have a sensitive stomach, it is better to avoid carbon dioxide and instead choose water with a lot of hydrogen carbonate. Hydrogen carbonate, also known as bicarbonate, neutralizes excess acids that arise during normal metabolism.” According to the Mineral and Table Water Ordinance (MTVO), mineral water can be described as containing hydrogen carbonate if the hydrogen carbonate content is 600 milligrams per liter or more.
The advantage of carbon dioxide is that it gently stimulates digestion, explains the German Nutrition Society (DGE): “If you are prone to constipation, you can try out whether carbonated water stimulates the intestines.”
Unhealthy carbon dioxide? Does sparkling water cause acidity?
Myth 4: Carbonated water leads to acidification of the body due to its low pH value.
Short answer: Carbonic acid decomposes quickly into carbon dioxide and water – and does not make you acidic.
Background: A special feature of carbonated water: It has a lower pH value than still water. While tap water and still water have a neutral pH value of around 7, sparkling water has a pH value of around 5.3. Carbonated water is slightly acidic – that is one of the reasons why it is considered unhealthy in naturopathy.
However, carbonated drinks do not make the body acidic in the long term. The reason: Carbon dioxide is unstable and breaks down extremely quickly into its components CO2 and water. “When you open the mineral water bottle, the carbon dioxide hisses out (in the form of CO2). The remaining part breaks down in the stomach, which causes you to burp or enters the blood through the digestive tract and is exhaled unnoticed through the lungs,” explains Silke Restemeyer, nutritionist at the German Nutrition Society (DGE) to Utopia. This means that carbonated water does not contribute to acidification of the body.
Regardless of whether it is carbonated or non-carbonated water: tap water is better than bottled water
Carbonated water does not make you fat and is definitely not unhealthy. For people with sensitive stomachs, it can cause unpleasant symptoms, but they are not dangerous. But no matter whether sparkling water or still water – one thing is most important: pay attention to the packaging.
Unlike plastic bottles, glass bottles are not automatically the better choice. Because they are so heavy, transporting them requires more energy. When it comes to bottled water, regional water in reusable glass bottles has the best climate balance. However, tap water is even more environmentally friendly – it can be drunk without hesitation in Germany.
Techzle\.com therefore advises: If you like to drink carbonated water, it makes more sense not to keep buying crates of water, but rather to sparkle up regular tap water.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- The best drinking bottles for on the go
- Drink water: This much is healthy
- 10 amazing things that exist without plastic
Editorial assistance: Nadja Ayoub
German version available: Is Carbonated Water Bad for You?
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