 Natural bubbling or sparkling waters have been popular for thousands of years. Manufactured sparkling water has been around ever since a clergyman suspended water over a vat of fermenting beer. For centuries, carbonated water has been considered capable of relieving gastrointestinal symptoms, including tummy aches, but we didn't have good data until this study was published. 21 folks with dyspepsia, an upset stomach, and constipation were randomized into two groups in a double-blind fashion to drink one and a half quarts of carbonated water versus tap water every day for two weeks. Dyspepsia is defined as pain or discomfort located in the upper abdomen, including bloating and nausea. And carbonated water improved dyspepsia, compared to still water, tap water. And improved constipation. Drink more water is a common recommendation for constipation, but they didn't observe a clear benefit of the added tap water. Seems you need to increase fiber and water rather than just water alone, but sparkling water seemed to help. Now they were using sparkling mineral water, and so whether these effects are due to the bubbles or the minerals we can't tell from this study. There's been a concern that carbonated beverages may increase heartburn, gerd acid reflux disease, but that was based on studies like this that compared water to Pepsi. Soda can put the Pepsi in dyspepsia and contribute to heartburn, but so may tea and coffee and people that suffer from heartburn. That may be partly from the cream and sugar, though, since milk is a common contributor to heartburn as well. Carbonated water alone, though, shouldn't be a problem. Similarly, while flavored sparkling drinks can erode our enamel, it's not the carbonation, but the added juices and acids. Sparkling water alone appears 100 times less erosive than citrus or soda. So a sparkling mineral water may successfully treat stomach ache and constipation without adverse effects, unless you're a teenage boy opening a bottle of sparkling wine with your teeth, especially on a hot day after you shake it up, placing one at risk for a pneumatic rupture of the esophagus.