Sparkling spring water is a perfectly healthy choice for most people. It hydrates just as well as still water, contains naturally occurring minerals that benefit your body, and carries none of the sugar or artificial sweeteners found in sodas. The main trade-off is minor: carbonation can cause bloating or gas in some people, especially in large amounts.
Hydration Is the Same as Still Water
The most common concern people have about sparkling water is whether the bubbles somehow make it less hydrating. They don’t. Sparkling and still water hydrate the body equally, with no significant difference in fluid retention or urine output. If you prefer the fizz and it helps you drink more water throughout the day, that’s a net positive for your health.
What Makes Spring Water Different
Not all sparkling water is the same. Sparkling spring water and mineral water come from underground sources and contain naturally occurring minerals like calcium, magnesium, and sometimes sodium. These aren’t added during processing; they dissolve into the water as it moves through rock and soil. Some spring waters are naturally carbonated by volcanic gases underground, while others have carbonation added after bottling.
The mineral content matters. Calcium supports bone health and muscle function. Magnesium helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure. The amounts vary by brand, so checking the label gives you a clearer picture of what you’re actually getting. One thing to watch: some mineral waters contain meaningful amounts of sodium, which could be a concern if you’re limiting salt intake. Plain seltzer, by contrast, is just tap water with added carbon dioxide and typically contains no minerals at all.
Digestive Effects: Mostly Helpful, Sometimes Not
Carbonation has a real effect on your gut, and for most people it’s a beneficial one. The bubbles can stimulate the nerves responsible for digestion, making the process more efficient. Some research shows sparkling water helps relieve constipation. It can also increase feelings of fullness after a meal, which may help reduce overall calorie intake throughout the day.
The downside is straightforward: drinking a lot of sparkling water can cause gas and bloating. This is especially true if you drink it through a straw, which causes you to swallow extra air along with the carbonation. If you’re prone to acid reflux or have irritable bowel syndrome, the added gas pressure in your stomach may worsen symptoms. For most people, though, a few glasses a day won’t cause problems.
One small animal study suggested carbonated water might increase levels of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger, but this hasn’t been replicated in human studies and isn’t considered a reliable concern at this point.
No Evidence It Weakens Bones
The idea that carbonated water leaches calcium from your bones is one of the most persistent myths about sparkling water, and it’s wrong. The concern originally came from studies on cola, which contains phosphoric acid. Plain carbonated water does not.
A clinical trial published in the British Journal of Nutrition compared healthy postmenopausal women (a group particularly vulnerable to bone loss) who drank about a quart of carbonated mineral water daily with those who drank the same amount of still mineral water. After eight weeks, blood and urine tests showed no difference in bone turnover between the two groups. Larger observational studies have confirmed that non-cola carbonated drinks are not associated with lower bone mineral density. The lower bone density seen in cola drinkers likely comes from the caffeine, not the carbonation.
Potential Benefits for Kidney Stones
Sparkling mineral water with a specific mix of calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate may actually help prevent kidney stones. A study had participants drink at least 1.25 liters of this type of mineral water daily for a week while eating their normal diets. Their urine volume increased from about 1,500 ml to 1,800 ml per day, and urinary oxalate (a key building block of kidney stones) dropped from 0.32 to 0.23 millimoles per day. Urinary magnesium, which inhibits stone formation, rose significantly.
The mechanism is intuitive: calcium in the mineral water binds to oxalate from food (found in spinach, nuts, and chocolate) in the digestive tract, so the oxalate gets excreted rather than absorbed. Once absorbed, free oxalate can combine with calcium in the kidneys and form stones. A follow-up study in people who already had kidney stones showed similar results. This doesn’t mean any sparkling water will prevent stones, but mineral-rich varieties consumed with meals could be a useful habit for people at risk.
What About Contaminants?
Bottled water, including spring water, sometimes raises concerns about contaminants like PFAS (synthetic chemicals that persist in the environment and the body). The FDA tested 197 bottled water samples collected from U.S. retail locations between 2023 and 2024, spanning purified, artesian, spring, and mineral varieties. Ten samples had detectable PFAS levels, but none exceeded the maximum contaminant levels set by the EPA for public drinking water. The detected amounts were low, with each positive sample containing between one and four different PFAS compounds.
This doesn’t mean bottled spring water is perfectly pure, but it does suggest PFAS contamination in commercial bottled water is generally within safe limits under current standards.
Who Should Be Cautious
Sparkling spring water is safe for the vast majority of people, but a few groups should be thoughtful about it. If you experience frequent bloating, gas, or acid reflux, the carbonation can aggravate those symptoms. People on sodium-restricted diets should check labels, since some mineral waters contain more sodium than you’d expect. And if you have a condition that makes you sensitive to changes in stomach pressure (like a hiatal hernia), large volumes of carbonated water could be uncomfortable.
For everyone else, sparkling spring water is a healthy, hydrating option that comes with a small mineral bonus and none of the drawbacks of sugary or artificially sweetened drinks. If you enjoy it more than still water, that preference is working in your favor.