Carbonated Water

[meggymaggoo]

Hello Everybody

I have been searching for information on carbonated water and its impact on health. Does anybody know anything?

Thank you

[PygmyGoat]

I'm sorry I don't have links but I have read that it a) contains sodium, b) can make celulite worse, and c) can unsettle the stomach due to the carbonation (of course!!).
Personally I think it's a thousand times better for you then sugary drinks, anyway!.

[meggymaggoo]

Hello PG, thanks for replying

Do you have any idea why it would make cellulite worse?

I find fizz settles my stomach! (but then I am alien).

[Tigerlily]

I heard something about interfering with calcium absorption.

[meggymaggoo]

Hi Tigerlily

Thanks for replying. How might it interfere with calcium absorption?

[Tigerlily]

I have no idea. I remember reading long ago that kids and teenaged girls shouldn't consume a lot of carbonated beverages because of some issue with calcium or bone density.

[sandra]

Please don't tell me carbonated water is bad for you, I love it, I live for it! I drink about 2 bottles a day. I used to have a stomach ulcer and it was the only thing that helped me, and I got the ulcer before I started to drink the water so it wasn't to blame!

[Daffy]

I've heard the same as Tigerlily. I'm not certain exactly why that might be though.

[jennyL]

I've heard that carbonated sodas, things like coke or diet coke or other flavours, are bad. I don't think that plain carbonated water is bad.

[VanillaBean]

The only thing that I have read about carbonated water (ignoring completely any sugar and artificial ingredients stuff) is that it bloats you. It was in a magazine talking about how the all important celebrities prepare for the big award nights - none of them drink soda or mineral water because it makes your stomach bloat which would look terrible in that tight little designer dress! That aside, I can't imagine that it is beneficial to swallow the carbonation. Whether it is literally bad for your health, I am not sure.

[sandra]

I have the opposite effect with carbonated water, it doesn't bloat me but actually helps if I have a stomach upset. Funnily enough soya milk would tend to bloat me more!

[sugarmouse]

i also hope it is not bad for you,because i love it!!I have heard the same as Tigerlily aswell.

[cedarblue]

bleugh! unnecessary gas going in the system.....

[herbwormwood]

google carbonated drinks osteoporosis
also carbonated water osteoporosis for some debate on whether it could afect the development of osteoporosis.
Lots of info there!

[j&k]

I have not seen any studies that say that carbonated water decreases bone density -- but the science is clear that carbonated beverages in general do. For sodas, this is true because of the phosphoric acid. The phosphoric acid is a contributor to bone loss. In my mind, this does not mean that carbonated water also affects bone density, but it is possible.

The one thing that does hold up to scientific scrutiny, though, is that carbonated drinks of all sorts increase risk of gastric reflux. Here is the most recent study discussing this phenomenon.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Citation

Best,
Josh

[meggymaggoo]

Thank you all for replying

I googled a lot before starting this thread - the results were highly contradictory. Some even claim that Carbonated water actually helps to buffer blood acidity keeping calcium locked in the bones:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...987113,00.html

I am like you Sandra - I find the fizz in plain carbonated water (with nothing added, some call it seltzer) actually settles any digestive disturbance I may have. My mum has a hiatus hernia and finds it helps with reflux. It seems to affect us all differently.

I'd love to read something based on carbonated water only, not other flavoured/sweetened sodas.

Thanks again everybody. I appreciate each and every reply. I really love the exchange of information here.

[Dreamer]

i drink it everyday and love it. the first few times i drank it i felt a little nausated, and thereafter just fine. i like it because it prevents me from drinking too much water at work and then having to pee during my job.