- Default serving330 ml11 fl oz · Water
- Counts toward goal330 mlthe full serving
- Hydration factor1.00same as water
Move the slider to see what a bigger or smaller sparkling water does to the numbers. The app uses the same figures.
Work out your daily drinking target with the water intake calculator.
The trial result
Sparkling water was one of 13 drinks in the Beverage Hydration Index trial. Each of 72 men drank a litre (34 fl oz) of still water and, on separate days, a litre each of three other drinks, and their urine was collected for four hours. The urine after sparkling water was no different from the urine after still water. (Maughan et al., 2016)
The sparkling water in the trial was plain carbonated water, with no energy and almost no sodium. (Rodriguez-Sanchez, 2016) The only drinks that beat still water were an oral rehydration solution and milk, all of them carrying salts or energy.
How it counts
WaterChamp counts sparkling water at a hydration factor of 1.00, the same as still water, so every millilitre goes toward your daily goal. Search for LaCroix, Perrier or San Pellegrino in the app and it finds Sparkling Water. Still mineral water, such as Evian, is its own entry at the same factor.
Sparkling water with a natural flavor and no sugar is the same drink with a taste added. Sweetened fizzy drinks are soft drinks. Cola and diet cola were in the trial too, and both matched still water. What changes is the sugar and caffeine they bring.
Bubbles and teeth
Sparkling water is slightly acidic from its dissolved carbon dioxide. In a lab study on extracted human teeth, sparkling mineral waters dissolved slightly more enamel than still waters, and about a hundred times less than the soft drinks tested alongside them. Taking the gas out lowered the effect. Levels were low either way, and the authors concluded that carbonation on its own may not be an important factor for erosion. (Parry et al., 2001)
Questions
Does sparkling water count as water intake?
Yes, all of it. It counts at the same 1.00 factor as still water.
Does sparkling water dehydrate you?
No. In the trial it was kept as well as still water.
Is sparkling water bad for your teeth?
In a lab test it dissolved slightly more tooth enamel than still water, and about a hundred times less than soft drinks.
Is flavored sparkling water as hydrating?
Yes. Without sugar it is sparkling water with a taste added. Sweetened versions count in full too, as cola did in the trial, and they add sugar.
Hydration factors follow the Beverage Hydration Index: Maughan RJ, Watson P, Cordery PA, et al. “A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016;103(3):717-723. Read the paper on PubMed. In WaterChamp a sparkling water counts the same as plain water.
