There’s been buzz that flavoured sparkling waters are bad for your teeth due to their acidity - so what is the pH of Polar Seltzer’s summer 2018 flavours? Subscribe to Nourishable at [ Ссылка ]
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There’s been some buzz out there that seltzer water is bad for your teeth because the carbonic acid erodes your tooth enamel [1-4]. Acidity is measured by pH, with a pH lower than 7 being acidic. In order for a beverage to risk eroding enamel, the pH has to be 4 or lower [5].
I’m used the Apera pH20 meter to measure the acidity of the seltzer waters. First I calibrated the pH meter to make sure it was accurate. I measured the pH of each seltzer water in triplicate and then took the average.
Results: goo.gl/sMLhzz
Since these values are higher than 4, this supports that these seltzers aren’t acidic enough to risk erosion. Since these sparkling waters use natural flavours rather than fruit juice, I was not surprised by the low acidity. Fruit-juice flavoured seltzers, such as Spindrift, are more acidic, but they can still be enjoyed safely when consumed with food because the extra saliva acts as a buffer [6]. Flavoured sparkling waters are a healthy beverage choice, especially when they replace sugar sweetened beverages like soda. Sodas are a double whammy for your dental health because they’re very acidic [7] and all that sugar feeds oral bacteria that secrete even more acid to cause cavities [8]. Plus all that added sugar is detrimental for metabolism and promotes weight gain [9]. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines [11] and the World Health Organization [10] recommend keeping added sugars under 10% of your total daily calories, so replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with sparkling water is one way to attain this goal. Whether its with your own soda stream or a flavoured sparkling water from the store, you can enjoy these delightful bubbles with assurance that they’re a healthy choice in your lifestyle.
References
1. Brown CJ, Smith G, Shaw L, Parry J, Smith AJ. The erosive potential of flavoured sparkling water drinks. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2007;17: 86–91.
2. Krieger BE. Why flavored waters are bad for your teeth. In: Washington Post [Internet]. The Washington Post; 24 Apr 2017 [cited 6 Jun 2018]. Available: [ Ссылка ]
3. Khazan O. The Sad Truth About Seltzer. In: The Atlantic [Internet]. 1 Feb 2016 [cited 6 Jun 2018]. Available: [ Ссылка ]
4. Taylor J. Science Has Bad News for People Who Love Seltzer. In: Mic Network Inc. [Internet]. 2 Feb 2016 [cited 6 Jun 2018]. Available: [ Ссылка ]
5. Reddy A, Norris DF, Momeni SS, Waldo B, Ruby JD. The pH of beverages in the United States. The Journal of the American Dental Association. 2016;147: 255–263.
6. Buzalaf MAR, Hannas AR, Kato MT. Saliva and dental erosion. J Appl Oral Sci. 2012;20: 493–502.
7. Parry J, Shaw L, Arnaud MJ, Smith AJ. Investigation of mineral waters and soft drinks in relation to dental erosion. J Oral Rehabil. 2001;28: 766–772.
8. Gupta P, Gupta N, Pawar AP, Birajdar SS, Natt AS, Singh HP. Role of sugar and sugar substitutes in dental caries: a review. ISRN Dent. 2013;2013: 519421.
9. Malik VS, Pan A, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98: 1084–1102.
10. World Health Organization. Guideline: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children. World Health Organization; 2015.
11. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. Skyhorse Publishing Inc.; 2017.
