Does Carbonated or Sparkling Water Hydrate You?

What’s The Buzz On Carbonation?

With all the negative hype on sugary drinks, beverage producers have come up with more brands of water, both purified and carbonated. Their nutrition labels highlight PH, carbonation, minerals, and electrolytes. So does carbonated water hydrate you more or less effectively than basic water?  

Carbonated water, sparkling water, bubbly water, and fizzy water are all general terms referring to water that has been pressurized with carbon dioxide. 

Seltzer includes water and carbonation, so seltzer is just as effective as regular water at hydration. 

Club soda has added sodium and/or potassium salts. Salts help to lock water into your cells and ensure that they stay hydrated. As long as you’re getting enough sodium in your diet, club soda won’t hydrate you any more than plain water. However, if you aren’t getting enough salt in your diet, club soda might hydrate you more than other alternatives.

Perrier and San Pellegrino are popular brands of sparkling water. Both types have a number of other mineral components and are slightly acidic. Neither of the two are acidic enough to cause dehydration, or any potentially negative impacts. They’re well within the range that science deems safe, and closer to neutral than some non-carbonated brands of bottled water. However, the mineral content of these two drinks might be cause for pause. They both include a number of minerals that are essential for hydration (calcium, magnesium, chloride). They also include sulfates, which are known to have a laxative effect in the presence of calcium and magnesium. But it’s unlikely that the trace amounts of minerals are concentrated enough to cause any harm. 

If you are sick, or really, dangerously dehydrated, drinking Perrier or San Pellegrino is probably slightly less hydrating than drinking still water or seltzer. In everyday situations, the difference is likely marginal at most.

When it comes to Tonic water, you’ll find sugar as well as quinine in the mix. To substitute it for water would increase both sugar and quinine levels. While neither of these things would dehydrate you, they are not the healthiest of options. 

The Bottom Line - Does Carbonated Water Hydrate You? 

The best thing you can do for your body is to stay hydrated. If you enjoy the buzz of carbonation, there’s little harm, unless it’s sugary. Bottom line: make sure you’re drinking enough water every day, whether it’s natural or carbonated.