 I don't know about you guys, but I love sparkling water. I don't know where I would be without my Pellegrino, but is sparkling water bad for you? Before we get started, there are several types of sparkling water. One is seltzer water, which is plain water infused with carbon dioxide gas. Then we have club soda, which is infused with mineral ingredients like sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, giving it a different flavor. And last is sparkling mineral water, which is naturally carbonated coming from springs or wells such as Pellegrino or Perrier. Carbon dioxide gas dissolved in water creates carbonic acid. This is what gives sparkling water a slightly tart flavor, also lowering the pH. The pH of carbonated water is around 3 to 4, which means it's slightly acidic. But as we know, our body regulates our pH, regardless of what we eat or drink. We have to consider that most carbonated beverages aren't just plain sparkling water. We have sodas, flavored waters, various additives ranging from citric acid to artificial sweeteners, and generally when each of these individual ingredients are addressed, there are negatives associated with them. And there has been a lot of research linking reduced bone density or rotting teeth to the consumption of carbonated beverages for these specific reasons. Whether it's Coca-Cola or artificially sweetened iced teas, we have to keep in mind that those studies and ideas are not pertaining to plain sparkling water. However, I did find a study demonstrating that carbonated water that is manufactured by a soda carbonator can damage tooth enamel. But keep in mind, the method in that study was submerging the teeth in carbonated water for 15 minutes, 3 times per day, for 7 days. And these teeth were not in a person's mouth. They were samples taken. So as much as we want to look at a study like this and consider it, the method as well as the dosage was completely impractical. What they should have done was rinse the tooth once or twice per day with the carbonated water. And they also show in the study that the addition of calcium alleviates enamel loss. So we can speculate that a high nutrient diet composed of calcium as well as vitamins D3 and K2 would also do the same. Now this carbon dioxide in these beverages has been shown to induce ghrelin increasing food consumption in male rats. Ghrelin is a hormone that is produced and released by the stomach. It's coined the hunger hormone because it stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage. But ghrelin also has many other functions in the body, ranging from growth hormone release to increased heart rate. And we aren't talking a small amount of ghrelin. This study demonstrated 20 times the ghrelin levels of what is considered to be normal. Now this might seem like a bad thing, but ghrelin increases gut motility, how quickly food moves through your stomach. And this would improve digestion drastically and can help people with constipation. The increased appetite might seem like an issue, but sparkling water has also been shown to keep food in the upper part of the stomach for a longer period of time, triggering a sensation of fullness. So ghrelin is supposed to increase gut motility, but other studies have shown food staying in the stomach for a longer period of time. What I believe is happening here is that the food is breaking down more in the stomach and then when it goes through your digestive system, it will digest more efficiently. We also see decreased satiety and improvement of indigestion, constipation, as well as gall bladder emptying in carbonated water compared to tap water. One study commonly brought up is the effect of carbonated water on dysphagia, which is trouble swallowing. I personally don't have any issues with swallowing, but I guess it would explain why certain people who do food challenges or eating challenges prefer to use soda and carbonated beverages in some cases. There can however be issues with certain types of carbonated water due to the mineral profile. I've noticed that high calcium carbonated water like Darrell Steiner can give certain people constipation. If you are searching for mineral water, try to find one with a lower calcium content, preferably a high magnesium content. And if you can't find something like that, then just shoot for a lower mineral content in general, such as Pellegrino or Perrier. Over the past few days, I was having some indigestion and I started craving sparkling water really badly. Went to drink the sparkling water and it improved my stomach drastically. I'm assuming this has more to do with the quality of the tap water in New York City, even though I'm filtering it. So I'm more inclined to believe that when people switch over to a carbonated water, it's actually the quality of the water, not necessarily the carbonation. That being said, some of you guys might be concerned with fluoride and certain minerals in these waters. Calcium fluoride naturally occurs in water, whereas sodium fluoride, which is what is added to our water now, is what's actually dangerous. So you want to have a bit of an understanding of the key lations, the types of the minerals that occur in the water before worrying too much about it. And of course, go with how you feel. A lot of anecdotal and subjective things end up being better than paper value in the long run. You know, this tap water is full of antibiotics, hormones, estrogen, stuff that's completely ruining my stomach. And that is by no means outside of the realm of possibilities. You know, just having a polluted water source in and itself, even if you're running it through a versus osmosis can cause a lot of stomach issues. Thank you guys for joining me today. If you could please like the video, subscribe, hit that bell icon, share it if you can. If you guys would like to support me further, please check out Franky's free range meat dot com, providing you with high quality, nutrient dense animal foods at the most affordable price. Go to Franky's free range meat dot com. Check out our 100% grass fed and grass finished meat. We have Wagyu, organ meats, raw cheeses, caviar. You can also check out Franky's naturals, minimal ingredients, minimally processed hygiene and cosmetic products. Go to Franky's naturals dot com. If you want Franky's hair cement, Franky's tooth powder, deodorant, moisturizing cream, everything to make you look like a Roman statue on the inside and out is available on Franky's free range meat and Franky's naturals.