Disadvantages of Drinking Sparkling Vitamin C water
It’s sparkling vitamin C water. It is quite a popular product in Japan, so I often see it in supermarkets, but… Why do they seem to promote the image that drinking this kind of beverage is good for our health?
Is there any research that shows that drinking this kind of beverage makes us healthier? No! So why are they trying to promote the image that sparkling vitamin C water is healthy?
I think “health” is not the point. They want us to buy sparkling vitamin C water because of its unique texture and taste, so I believe they are trying to promote the image that drinking this product will make us happier than normal carbonated drinks.
Is it true? I don’t know, but I’d like to share with you something about sparkling vitamin C water.
The bubbles in sparkling vitamin C water are carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which is the same gas that makes soda or beer bubbly. The bubbles may be small, but it takes huge pressure for them to form.
About 60 grams of CO 2 is dissolved in one liter of sparkling vitamin C water. Can you drink that much CO 2?
It’s not unusual to drink more than fifty grams of carbon dioxide when drinking beer, but if the gas is released rapidly in our stomachs it can be dangerous. It was even fatal at least once. This case will be described later… Let’s talk about what happens in our stomachs before that.
The carbon dioxide gas in sparkling vitamin C water is dissolved under high pressure – so it is possible to drink a lot of CO 2 if we don’t release the gas from the liquid. We may notice a swollen feeling when drinking sparkling vitamin C water because water from inside our bodies moves into the stomach to dilute it.
If we release the gas in our stomachs, not just CO 2, but also all the vitamin C will escape into the air. Vitamin C is unstable and will break down if exposed to oxygen or high temperatures. Vitamin C is destroyed by heat, so even when cooking vegetables or making fruit juice, for example, we use as little heat as possible.
The gas can escape from sparkling vitamin C water when we open the lid. Vitamin C is easily destroyed by light and high temperatures, so it would be a different story if the product was filled under high pressure with carbon dioxide and sealed in a can or bottle. Then once it’s opened, vitamin C could be preserved for a long time.
Sparkling vitamin C water is not sealed in a can or bottle, so the carbon dioxide gas will escape after we open it and it will be exposed to light and high temperatures in our kitchen.
Vitamin C in sparkling vitamin C water is also affected by exposure to light, heat, and air. It will be consumed by the time we get home from shopping because it is exposed to these conditions while we transport and store it.
Let’s imagine that you drink sparkling vitamin C water before going shopping, but you don’t really like the taste of it so you just pretend to drink, saving 30 or 40 grams in your stomach. When you start walking, you feel bloated because of the water, but after some time your stomach feels empty! So you eat something…
The vitamin C content on the back of bottles usually says “200 mg per 100 ml serving” or “per bottle”. If we drink 30 to 50 grams of sparkling vitamin C water, about thirty percent (30%) of the vitamin C will be consumed, which is – to put it simply – about six grams. If we think of vitamin C as a condiment and the water as soup, this would be like adding two teaspoons of salt instead of one to our lunch!
It’s not unusual for Japanese people to drink half a liter or more of sparkling vitamin C water every day. If we do this for a long time, the high vitamin C content may have some effect on our health… About ten years ago,
a man in Osaka died from drinking sparkling vitamin C water every day. He was found dead at his desk, but there were no external injuries and nothing suspicious about the scene. The cause of death was diagnosed as heart failure due to the pressure of the gas dissolved in his bloodstream.
This kind of death is called “SOS (sudden out-of-the-blue) death syndrome”, but has rarely been reported since that case ten years ago. If we drink sparkling vitamin C water which contains high levels of vitamin C, some people may have a reaction in their stomachs. It is possible that the gas dissolved in this water affects the heart or blood vessels of people who are more sensitive, but this does not happen to everyone.
It is also said that these kinds of deaths sometimes occur right after drinking carbonated beverages like cola… Even though they contain carbon dioxide under high pressure, drinking cola or other carbonated drinks does not cause SOS death because the vitamin C content is very low.
Sparkling vitamin C water is claimed to be healthier than ordinary drinking water because of its “vitamin” and “mineral” contents. However, its high levels of vitamin C are not good for us if we drink too much.
We do not recommend it to people who are especially sensitive or have health problems or drink alcohol, as well as women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
sparkling water vs soda water:
In this article, we will review the key differences between Sparkling Water and Soda Water. We have compiled a list of 13 differences between them which include application, country-wise availability, ingredients used, and so on. So let us find out the fundamental differences without further ado:
Key Difference – Sparkling Water vs Soda Water:
Definition of Sparkling Water and Soda Water:
Sparkling water refers to plain water which is carbonated or naturally sparkling. In other words, it is a non-alcoholic beverage consisting of flavored carbonated water. It gives a refreshing taste with minerals but does not have any added sugar or any artificial flavorings. After the first sip, you can feel the carbonated flavor at the tip of your tongue. That’s what makes it different from plain water.
On the other hand, soda water is also known as club soda or seltzer water. It contains sodium bicarbonate which reacts with a weak acid to produce bubbles of carbon dioxide. Thus, it is also a carbonated beverage with many minerals. The difference between soda water and sparkling water is that while the former has sodium bicarbonate, the latter does not contain any such ingredient.
Description of Sparkling Water and Soda Water:
There are certain differences in the description of both terms. As already stated, sparkling water refers to plain water which is carbonated or naturally sparkling. Soda water, on the other hand, is also known as club soda or seltzer water. It contains sodium bicarbonate which reacts with a weak acid to produce bubbles of carbon dioxide.
Recommended serving method for Sparkling Water and Soda Water:
Sparkling water can be served chilled or at room temperature. It is usually served in low decorative glasses with lemon wedges, ices, and so on. For soda water, it is traditionally served in tall cylindrical glasses where carbonation bubbles can be seen traveling up the glass due to the presence of sodium bicarbonate.
Soda Water Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size- 1 can (4 fl oz / 125 ml)
Amount per Serving
Calories- 0
Sodium- 40 mg (1% DV)
Serving Size- 1 can (8 fl oz / 250 ml)
Amount per Serving
Calories- 0
Sodium- 0 mg (0% DV)
soda water benefits and side effects:
As far as the difference in nutrition facts are concerned, you can observe that there are no Calories in soda water. Therefore it contributes zero to your daily intake of calories. On the other hand, sparkling water has very few amounts minerals with different flavors added to them for taste.
Alcohol Content of Sparkling Water and Soda Water:
Sparkling water can be consumed by itself, but it is generally mixed with other beverages to get the desired flavor. It has very low alcohol content if any at all. On the other hand, soda water does not have any trace of alcohol in it.
Plant Base or Animal Base:
Generally, both sparkling and soda waters are prepared with a plant base for large-scale production. There is no animal product or by-product used in the manufacturing of either of these drinks.
Country-wise Availability of Sparkling Water and Soda Water:
Sparkling water is available all around the world. It has gained immense popularity in recent times. However, soda water is not as popular as sparkling water. You can find soda water mostly in America or any region where seltzer water originated from.
Exact Origin of Sparkling Water and Soda Water:
Sparkling water is prepared by carbonating plain or flavored water. It originated as a European drink sometime after the first half of the 17th century. On the other hand, soda water originated in England and was referred to as mineral water at first since it was made with spring water rich in minerals. Other countries started manufacturing seltzer water which was made with sea salt or baking soda.