Surprising ways fizzy water could be harming your health

July 31, 2015  15:43

Sparkling water seems the perfect summer thirst quencher - a refreshing alternative to alcohol or fizzy, sugary drinks, and also just that little bit more interesting than tap water. It's so popular that we drank 300 million litres in the UK last year.

But is it as good for us as we think? As some dental experts warn of its potential to erode teeth, we reveal the surprising ways it could be harming your health.

Teething troubles 

Carbon dioxide, the gas that is used to create the bubbles in sparkling water, also creates carbonic acid when it's dissolved in water, which is what gives sparkling water its refreshing, slightly tart taste.

'Although the acidity of some sparkling waters can be balanced by their natural mineral content,' says Dental Hygienist Elaine Tilling, head of Clinical Education for oral hygiene specialist TePe, 'the pH of most fizzy waters can be low enough to soften tooth enamel and leave it vulnerable to damage, especially if you sip it frequently throughout the day.'

It's a problem that can be exacerbated if you then add acidic slices of lemon or lime to your drink. 'Gradual erosion of the hard, protective tooth enamel by acidic foods and drinks can eventually leave the underlying, yellow dentine of the tooth exposed, resulting in pain and sensitivity,' says Elaine. 'To reduce the potential for acid erosion from sparkling water, I suggest people drink it only at meal times. Sipping it regularly throughout the day doesn't give the saliva in your mouth a chance to neutralise the acid.'

For the same reason, it's not a good idea to keep a glass of carbonated water on your bedside to sip through the night.

'It's also a good idea to drink sparkling water through a straw, to minimise contact with teeth,' she says. 'Also, wait at least 40 minutes after drinking fizzy water before brushing your teeth, to allow your saliva to remineralise and harden the enamel. 'Rinsing your mouth with plain, uncarbonated water after drinking fizzy water (to remove any acidic residue) or chewing sugar-free chewing gum to stimulate saliva flow will help to speed this process up.'

Salt levels that make you thirsty 

You may be guzzling sparkling water as part of a health kick, but some fizzy mineral waters can contain significant quantities of salt (usually labelled as sodium - or its symbol Na).

Too much salt in the diet is linked to raised blood pressure, which can contribute to heart disease. A litre bottle of Badoit Sparkling Water for example, contains 180mg of sodium - the equivalent of 0.45g of salt, or 7.5 per cent of the daily 6g maximum recommended for an adult and nine times the average 0.05g of salt the Drinking Water Inspectorate says you'd expect in English tap water.

Katherine Jenner, a nutritionist and campaign director for the pressure group CASH, Consensus Action on Salt and Health, says: 'Sodium is found in many foods and drinks and small amounts can all add up to a significant quantity over the course of a day.'

Salt makes you thirsty. If you drink water that has a significant salt content, you'll feel thirstier than you would if you drank regular water, and want to drink more of it - boosting your salt intake.

So, if you need to keep your salt intake in check, it's well worth comparing sparkling water labels and choosing the one with the lowest sodium content before you buy.

Bubbles make your tummy fat

'The carbonation in fizzy water can create extra gas in your digestive system, which can exacerbate burping, abdominal bloating and flatulence,' says Dr Simon Anderson, consultant gastroenterologist at London Bridge Hospital. 'This can be particularly uncomfortable - painful even - for sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), symptoms of which include bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea and wind.'

Although the gassy effects of drinking fizzy water are always temporary, it's probably best to give it a miss if you want a flat tummy or suffer from IBS.

Making your heartburn worse

Heartburn, also called acid reflux, happens when the ring of muscle between your stomach and oesophagus, known as the oesophageal sphincter, malfunctions slightly, allowing the acidic contents of the stomach to regurgitate up into the oesophagus, creating a painful burning sensation in your chest and stomach.

If this happens more than twice a week, you are usually considered to have acid reflux disease, also known as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.'Drinking bubbly, gas-filled carbonated water - or any fizzy drink for that matter - can create extra pressure in your stomach, increasing the chances that your stomach will regurgitate its contents upward if you have a predisposition to this problem,' says Dr Anderson.

So if you're prone to reflux, it's probably best to stick to still water.

Water with added sugar

Sales of flavoured fizzy waters climbed 11 per cent last year. But if you're a fan, beware. Despite the emphasis on wholesome spring water and fresh fruit on the packaging, some flavoured sparkling waters contain almost as much sugar as cola.

A study carried out at Bangor University in 2012 showed that drinking just two glasses of sugar-laced fizzy drinks a day dulls people's perceptions of sweet tastes and makes them crave more sugar.

It also seems to change the way our muscles use food as fuel, training the muscles to 'choose' to burn sugars before fats over time, which can reduce our ability to burn fats in the long term.

Experts also think that the carbonation itself could also make you want more sweet things.

'The acidic effect created by carbon dioxide in water enhances our responses to other tastes, such as sugar,' says Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, director of the Health, Exercise and Rehabilitation group who led the study at Bangor. 'Though the sugar itself may create the craving, the acidity or fizz of the drink heightens our perceptions of the taste.'

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