Health Effects of Carbonated Water

Carbonated water is plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved, giving it fizz and a tangy taste. The carbon dioxide can either occur naturally, as in sparkling mineral-water springs, or it can be added during the manufacturing process, such as the type of water used in sodas. Carbonated beverages like sodas have other ingredients added and are given a bad health rap, but basic carbonated water contains few side effects and may actually have some health benefits.

ACID REFLUX

The main concern for all carbonated beverages is how they affect patients with acid reflux. A 2006 study at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine showed that 62 percent of healthy subjects in the study given carbonated beverages developed reduced strength of the lower esophageal sphincter. This in turn allowed stomach acid to back up into the esophagus, leading to reflux.

Some sources have linked acid reflux to esophageal cancer, but in 2006, the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" reported that the consumption of carbonated drinks is instead inversely associated with the risk of esophageal cancer.

CHOLESTEROL

In Italy, human subjects with high levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cholesterol were given either spring mineral water or tap water over a 9-week period. Those given the mineral water saw reductions in total cholesterol by 7.5 percent and LDL cholesterol by 12.5 percent. This led the researchers to conclude that salt-rich mineral water, which can include the carbonated version, may be effective in reducing cholesterol levels.

DYSPEPSIA

Thermal water is naturally-occurring warm water that is often carbonated and can contain various vitamins and minerals, depending upon the water source. A study published in "Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" in 2007 investigated thermal water comprised of bicarbonate, sulphate and calcium and its effects on patients with dyspepsia, or chronic indigestion, over a period of 12 days.

The majority of patients showed a reduction of the global symptoms score; decrease in the intensity of symptoms to a level that didn't interfere with everyday activities; and an improvement of ulcer-like dyspepsia symptoms. This follows on an earlier study in Pisa, Italy, which had discovered that mineral water could enhance gastric motor and secretory functions in patients with dyspepsia.

HEART DISEASE

A study on healthy post-menopausal women in Spain, published in the May 2004 issue of "The American Society for Nutritional Sciences," used two intervention periods of two months each during which women drank 1 liter per day of a control water with a low mineral content followed by 1 liter per day of a carbonated mineral water, rich in sodium, bicarbonate and chloride. Body weight, height, blood pressure and body mass index were all measured before and after each intervention period, and blood samples were drawn for cholesterol, glucose and other cardiovascular markers.

Not only were cholesterol levels decreased overall as in the Italian study above, but the cardiovascular markers were also greatly improved, and serum glucose levels decreased. The researchers concluded that carbonated mineral water may help prevent heart disease and also improve metabolic syndrome, the name for a group of risk factors that increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and diabetes.

OSTEOPOROSIS

Cola beverages have been implicated in bone loss due to their high phosphoric acid content, which leaches calcium out of the bones. But plain carbonated mineral water contains high levels of bicarbonate and is an alkali beverage, the opposite of acid. A 2005 study in Spain, published in the "British Journal of Nutrition," showed that women who drank a liter of carbonated mineral once a day lost less calcium than when they drank tap water. The scientists concluded that when mineral-rich carbonation evens out acidity in the body, it helps keep the calcium locked inside bones.

By BonnieVanaman

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Grape Seed Protects from Skin Cancer

I just read a study evaluating the use of various vitamins and supplements and likelihood of getting skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma of the skin) and wanted to let you know the exciting news about the results. The study was performed at the Kaiser Permenente Hospitals in San Francisco (where else?) 

Here's the scientific part: four hundred fifteen patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were age-matched with an equal number without cancer. They were questioned about their use of Vitamins A, C, D, and E, and grape seed extract. Grape seed extract (not to be confused with grapefruit seed extract) contains powerful anti-oxidants including “proanthocyanidins”.  These neutralize “free radicals” generated by sunlight, and help prevent sun damage to the DNA that leads to cancer.

What it means for you: The study showed that there was a significant association between use of grape seed extract and reduced development of skin cancer. Multivitamin use was associated with a borderline significant reduction in SCC’s. Vitamins A, C, E, and D were not associated with any change in likelihood of developing SCC. The only unsettling variable in the study was the increased prevalence of blond and red hair in the SCC group (unsettling because this means that people with lighter complexions seemed to have more incidence of cancer.)

Although there were some potential faults in the study design, it does point to the potential protective effects of powerful antioxidants like grape seed extract in protecting against squamous cell cancer of the skin. It does not remove the need for sun protection, but may offer protective additional protection.

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