Is it possible to lose weight with soda: little-known side effects of water with bubbles

Sometimes a banana is just a banana, so a soda is just a soda. Chemically it is H2O mixed with CO2, carbon dioxide, similar to what we exhale.

How did he get there? Cold gas dissolved in water under high pressure. It can happen in nature – natural soda is mined from some underground wells and springs. The product contains many useful substances – with this composition, tickling bubbles become just another interesting bonus.

CO2 can also be ‘pumped’ into the water at the production site, and this happens both with natural mineral water and with plain water, similar to purified tap water. Add syrup, dyes, preservatives, flavors to it – and you will get a tasty, high-calorie drink that will literally instantly provide you with a boost.

There was no marketing involved. Although not all sparkling water on the market is rich in minerals, there is a stereotype that sparkling water is good for your health (although you should always look at the ingredients). On the other hand, people who decide to go down the road of eliminating excess calories are often more willing to drink carbonated still water – they have given up chemical lemonades, but the fizz and bubbles make it easier for them to separate from harmful drinks. .

Bubble water, like any product, has its own characteristics.

If you need to drink more and can’t drink plain water, drink sparkling water. After all, it’s just pure water with carbon dioxide. Nutritionists and other nutritionists are gradually abandoning such scary standards as “three liters of water a day for everyone” – you need to drink according to your thirst, but enough, and not replace water with tea, coffee and juices.

The fact is related to the previous one – the fizz and bubbles really make the soda more “appetizing”. And that’s really important if you’re on the right track to improving your menu. It’s not worth adding syrup, but you can always put lemon, berries or fruit slices in your portion of mineral water.

And it’s also real, pure physics. By drinking sparkling water, you swallow a little more air than usual. Along with carbon dioxide, it can cause discomfort, especially if you have irritable bowel syndrome. For the same reason, soda can cause constipation or, conversely, diarrhea.

In 2017, the American Journal of Obesity Research and Clinical Practice published a study confirming that this very appetizing fizz of sparkling water causes some people to release the “hunger hormone” ghrelin.

Sodas can make you feel fuller without the calories. All fans of soda water talk about it – it fills the stomach much more pronounced than “empty” water. There isn’t much research on sodas, but common sense suggests that using a clear, bubbling liquid as a substitute for sugary sodas naturally helps reduce calorie intake.

A 2022 study found that cold, carbonated, unsweetened water increased cerebral blood flow. Subjects placed in a stressful situation after taking a sip of sparkling water with ice remained collected, attentive, and more alert and motivated than their counterparts in the study, who were given warm water and Still water.

Water with bubbles may have a lower acidity than ordinary water – in the long run this affects the enamel. Dentin, the area under tooth enamel that protects the nerve, also reacts to carbon dioxide.

No, we won’t! Water with gas allows you to avoid dehydration, overeating (unless, of course, you are one of those who begin to produce ghrelin from the hissing of bubbles) – in a word, this can do good work for health. But there are also downsides to using it. So think and decide.