Is Sparkling Water Bad For Your Kidneys?

By: Jan Helge
Date: July 18, 2023
Time to read: 5 min.

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Have you ever wondered if sparkling water is bad for your kidneys? If you have, you’re not alone. In this blog post, we’ll explore this topic and try to answer this question once and for all.

Table Of Contents

Is Sparkling Water Bad For Your Kidneys?
Is Sparkling Water Different From Soda Water?
Does Drinking Sparkling Water Impact Your Health?
Sparkling Water: Is It Safe?
Conclusion

Is Sparkling Water Bad For Your Kidneys?

Sparkling water, which includes mineral water, tonic water, and soda water, is produced by adding carbon dioxide under pressure. The process that makes water bubbly or effervescent is carbonation. You can either purchase sparkling water in bottles at your neighborhood store or produce your own utilizing tools like soda stream.

No, drinking sparkling water won’t harm your kidneys. In actuality, drinking plenty of water, whether it’s still or sparkling, is incredibly beneficial for your kidneys and your overall body. Also, with the addition of minerals like sodium and potassium, sparkling water provides several added health benefits. Phosphate additions could be present in other carbonated beverages.

The kidneys have the unusual capacity to retain the fluid your body requires and return it to circulation cleanly, while eliminating the fluid you don’t need with all the harmful toxins, resulting in urine.

Drinking it moderately is still vital, though. You can guzzle sparkling water to your heart’s delight if your kidneys are in good condition. Even your kidneys may benefit from increased fluid intake. However, consuming too much water can also make kidney injury more likely.

Excess fluid and poisons are eliminated by the kidneys into the urine. Compared to plain water, sparkling water has a lot more minerals and micronutrients added. Theoretically, excessive drinking will increase renal burden because it will require your kidneys to excrete more minerals and trace elements into the urine.

Is Sparkling Water Different From Soda Water?

Sparkling water is sometimes referred to by other names, and that includes soda water. You may be apprehensive at first when you hear the term “Soda Water” since soda is usually attributed as an unhealthy beverage. However, sparkling water and soda water are actually pretty much the same—they are both carbonated water.

Now, these bubbles may have been created artificially as a result of the manufacturing process, or they may have come from a natural source. By dissolving carbon dioxide gas into the water—a process known as carbonation—both sparkling water and soda water are given artificially added bubbles. The only distinction between them is the addition of minerals during the manufacturing process of soda water. This can improve the flavor by adding a faint saltiness to it.

So while sparkling water is not detrimental to your kidney health, it’s a different story for regular soda beverages. Phosphoric acid, a component in soda drinks, has been linked to urinary alterations and has been shown to raise the risk of kidney stones. They contain a lot of phosphates, and our bodies absorb this type of phosphate practically entirely.

High-fructose corn syrup is often used to sweeten carbonated beverages with sugar. According to a 2010 study, drinking soda with a lot of high-fructose corn syrup can cause uric acid levels to rise. For your blood to be cleared of this acid, your kidneys must exert more effort. The study discovered that consuming more than one carbonated beverage per day markedly raised the chance of developing chronic kidney disease when compared to people who consumed less.

Your chance of developing chronic kidney disease may rise if you consume both regular and diet sodas. Extra soda consumption can lead to weight gain, boost your risk of Type 2 diabetes, and increase your likelihood of developing renal disease. To prevent negative effects on your nutrition and renal health, limit your intake of carbonated beverages.

Does Drinking Sparkling Water Impact Your Health?

There aren’t many concerns to be concerned about as long as you choose kinds that are free of caffeine and sugar. There are a few things to watch out for even if there isn’t much evidence that sparkling water is bad for your health.

If you frequently have stomach issues, sparkling water may cause brief but unpleasant side effects. These symptoms include frequent burping, stomach bloating, gas, and pain. Reduce your consumption of sparkling water and stick to still water if you notice that your stomach has trouble handling the carbonation.

Minerals in sparkling water, whether they are naturally occurring or added during the carbonation process, have the potential to alter the enamel on your teeth. Anything containing citric acid, phosphorus, or sugar should be avoided because they can all cause enamel erosion. However, it hasn’t been demonstrated that regular seltzer has a major impact on enamel.

Sparkling Water: Is It Safe?

Yes, although you might be better off choosing still water if you have sensitive digestion, experience burping, bloating, or have heartburn. In fact, a study published in 2022 found that carbonated water may help with constipation and stomach symptoms. In a double-blind method, 21 patients with dyspepsia and secondary constipation were randomized into two groups.

Ten participants in one group drank carbonated water, whereas 11 participants in the other group drank tap water. 15 days were spent conducting this investigation. Patients completed a satiety test using a liquid meal, radioactive gastric emptying, sonographic gallbladder emptying, and colonic transit time using radio-opaque markers. Patients were also evaluated for dyspepsia and constipation ratings.

They discovered that after tap water, the dyspepsia score did not change and was greatly lowered by carbonated water. After drinking carbonated water, the constipation score also dramatically decreased, while tap water had no appreciable difference. Carbonated water greatly decreased satiety. Only carbonated water significantly increased gallbladder emptying.

This means that carbonated water reduces satiety and improves functional dyspepsia, constipation, and gallbladder emptying in patients who complain of these conditions.

Conclusion

Therefore, drinking pure sparkling water that does not have anything else added to it is definitely not bad for your kidneys. However, sugary soft drinks most certainly are—and it’s not because of the carbonation, but rather because of the other chemicals included and the quantity of sugar that stresses the body.

With that being said, relax and sip on pure carbonated water. If your body doesn’t like it, it will let you know.