Plain sparkling water is a healthy alternative to sugary drinks and, for most people, perfectly fine as an everyday beverage. It hydrates just as well as still water. But carbonation does come with a few trade-offs worth knowing about, especially for your teeth, your gut, and your appetite.
How Carbonation Affects Your Teeth
This is the most legitimate health concern with sparkling water. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it forms a weak acid called carbonic acid. Tooth enamel starts to dissolve at a pH of 5.5, and commercial sparkling waters range from about pH 4.18 to 5.87. That means some brands sit right at or below the threshold where enamel breakdown begins.
Higher carbonation levels cause more erosion. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that heavily carbonated water was more destructive to enamel surfaces than lightly carbonated water, regardless of whether calcium was present. That said, plain sparkling water is far less acidic than sodas (pH around 2.5 to 3.5) or citrus juices. The risk is real but modest, especially if you’re not sipping it constantly throughout the day. Drinking it with meals, using a straw, or rinsing with plain water afterward all reduce contact time with your teeth.
Carbonation and Appetite
One surprising finding: carbonated water may actually make you hungrier. A 2017 study found that carbon dioxide gas triggers the release of ghrelin, the hormone that signals hunger. In the study, 20 healthy men had higher ghrelin levels after drinking carbonated beverages compared to flat versions of the same drink. Rats given carbonated water over about a year gained weight faster than those drinking still water or degassed carbonated water, and they also showed more fat buildup in their livers.
This doesn’t mean sparkling water causes obesity. The effect was studied alongside sugary carbonated drinks, and the researchers were focused on the role of the gas itself. But if you’re someone who notices feeling hungrier after drinking sparkling water, this could explain why. It’s worth paying attention to, not worth panicking over.
Digestion and Bloating
If you have irritable bowel syndrome or are prone to bloating, sparkling water can make things worse. The dissolved gas can distend your stomach and intestines, leading to discomfort, belching, and a feeling of fullness that shifts into bloating. At least one clinical guideline for IBS recommends reducing fizzy drinks to help manage symptoms.
For people without digestive issues, the effect is usually minor. Some people actually find that sparkling water eases indigestion or helps them feel comfortably full after a meal. The response varies a lot from person to person, so your own experience is the best guide here.
Bone Health Is Not a Concern
The idea that carbonated water weakens your bones is one of the most persistent myths about sparkling water, and it’s not supported by evidence. A large study of older women published in the American Journal of Public Health found no association between carbonated beverage consumption and bone mineral density after adjusting for age, weight, calcium intake, exercise, and other factors. The confusion likely comes from research on cola, which contains phosphoric acid. Plain sparkling water does not.
What About Your Kidneys?
The mineral content of sparkling water matters more than the carbonation when it comes to kidney stones. Some mineral-rich sparkling waters contain high levels of calcium or sodium, both of which can increase urinary calcium excretion, a risk factor for calcium stone formation. Drinking two liters a day of water with more than 232 mg/l of calcium, for example, has been linked to elevated urinary calcium.
On the other hand, sparkling waters high in bicarbonate may actually protect against stones. Bicarbonate raises urinary pH, which reduces the risk of uric acid crystallization. It also promotes excretion of citrate and magnesium, both of which inhibit calcium oxalate stone formation. The takeaway: if you’re prone to kidney stones, check the mineral content on the label. The variation between brands is enormous.
Flavored Sparkling Water and Sweeteners
Plain sparkling water is just water and carbon dioxide. Flavored varieties are a different story. Many contain citric acid, which drops the pH well below 5.5 and accelerates enamel erosion beyond what plain carbonation alone would cause. Others contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose.
Aspartame was classified in 2023 as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by an international expert panel, a category that reflects limited rather than convincing evidence. The FDA disagreed with that classification, pointing to significant shortcomings in the studies used. One large French cohort study found a slight increase in cancer risk among high aspartame consumers, while a separate large U.S. study found no association between aspartame-containing beverages and lymphoma, leukemia, or brain cancer. Sucralose has shown no evidence of cancer risk in human studies.
If you want to keep things simple, unflavored sparkling water avoids both the added acidity and the sweetener question entirely.
Contaminants in Bottled Sparkling Water
The FDA tested 197 bottled water samples collected from U.S. retail locations between 2023 and 2024 for 18 types of PFAS, the synthetic chemicals sometimes called “forever chemicals.” Ten samples had detectable PFAS levels, but none exceeded the maximum contaminant levels set by the EPA for public drinking water. The detections were found in purified, spring, and artesian waters. While the testing didn’t single out sparkling water specifically, bottled sparkling mineral waters are subject to the same regulatory framework and mineral sourcing variability.
The Bottom Line on Daily Use
Plain sparkling water is a solid choice if it helps you drink more water or replace sodas and juices. The dental risk is real but manageable: don’t sip it all day long, choose brands without added citric acid, and rinse with still water when you can. If you have IBS or chronic bloating, you may want to limit how much you drink. And if you’re choosing flavored varieties, read the label for added acids and sweeteners that shift the health profile away from “just water with bubbles.”