Are carbonated drinks bad for you?

Is CO2 in carbonated drinks bad for you?

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This is a good question! CO2, or carbon dioxide, is a gas that in itself is not harmful to the human body. It is added under high pressure to drinks and that makes them carbonated.

(There is also natural carbonation. Natural carbonation is the build up of natural gases during fermentation. Forced carbonation is when carbon dioxide is added to the substance under pressure.)

In fact, carbon dioxide has been part of the Earth's atmosphere apparently since it was formed kazillions of years ago. It's a natural chemical substance, primarily in gas form. It is not toxic (unless in very intense quantities, which is rare at this time).

More clarification on "what is carbon dioxide?"

The answer to the question "Is CO2 in carbonated drinks bad for you?" requires a bit of understanding about pH balance of the human body. Carbonated drinks are acidic on the pH scale, and if the human body is more acidic than alkaline, it has difficulty functioning at an optimum level.

In other words, when the fluids inside and outside of the cells in the human body are not "in balance" meaning slightly more alkaline than acidic, or about 7 on the pH scale, health problems can result if the body remains acidic on a consistent basis.

For an uncomplicated explanation of pH and how it affects health, check out this pH definition.

What you eat and drink affects the pH balance of your body constantly.

If you follow a "Standard American Diet" - a dietary habit chosen by many people in developed countries, and increasingly in developing countries, characterized by high intakes of red meat, sugary desserts, high fat, and refined grains - you've chosen foods that are acid-forming, knocking the pH balance of your body out of whack.

Drinking carbonated drinks, for the most part, is not such a great idea. But when you're taking charge of your health and eating things that keep your pH balanced most of the time, an occasional carbonated drink isn't going to kill you!

Cheers,
BB

Comments for Are carbonated drinks bad for you? Average Rating Click here to add your own comments

Rating Response to video by: Ciana Hello, I enjoyed learning about PH balance in your demonstration. I have followed a high fiber, low fat diet for my entire life, and within the last year (when I started drinking flavored carbonated water) I have not been able to manage my weight. The reasons are certainly multi-factoral; pertaining to age, stress level, and hormonal changes; however, I wonder if the CO2 has impacted this process for it being almost impossible for me to lose a pound; even with increased activity. I have been tested for all chronic disease processes such as diabetes and coronary artery disease; and my results are all within normal limits. It amazes me that the answer may lie in the simplicity and basic organic nature of water.... Thanks,

Rating What??? by: Nick Woah, hold on. So you are saying that ingesting CO2 disrupts the "pH balance" of your body? What exectly do you mean by that? Are you referring to the concentration of dissolved CO2 in one's blood stream? With that said... The pH of the blood is constantly being manipulated by ingestion and absorption of nutrients, it rarely exactly at 7.4, which is a calculated average pH. I'm confused again why carbonation is any worse than, well most anything else a healthy athlete might consume. Hi Nick, Thank you for submitting your questions. It's totally correct that the pH of the blood is maintained at about 7.4 pH (slightly alkaline). The body works ceaselessly to maintain the blood pH at that level. But what is less understood or explained is HOW the body achieves that. If a person is ingesting more acidic forming foods/nutrients than alkaline, then the body draws minerals from the cells and tissues of the body, known as buffering systems, to correct the imbalance. For example, calcium will be taken from bones in order to bring an overly acidic blood pH into correct balance. What you consume has either an alkaline or an acidic effect on the body. Carbonation causes liquids to become acidic, as you can see in this short video: (The purple end of the scale is the most alkaline pH, the yellow end is the most acidic.) Too much acidity in the cells and tissues of the body create illness and make it very difficult for the body to function as it should! It's a biochemistry subject, but all functions of the body have a certain pH that is optimum, which is why maintaining a balanced pH is so important to health and physical ability. Sincerely, BB

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