Carbonated water simply speaking is adding CO2 gas to water and this makes the water slightly acidic because this forms carbonic acid. This simple effect can have massive benefits which we will delve into below:
What makes carbonated water so unique in making you feel better as well as improving digestion and relaxation is its ability to increase the amount of oxygen that gets taken up by your tissues. It does so by what is known as the bohr effect. The bohr effect explains that haemoglobin (which carries oxygen in our blood) has a higher affinity for CO2 than oxygen. Which means haemoglobin would rather carry CO2 than O2. Now this may sound counterintuitive as it sounds like the amount of oxygen that is carried is reduced but the opposite occurs. Because of this higher affinity for CO2 the unloading of oxygen into cells increases leading to more oxygen in the cells. Ever wonder why you need to breath into a brown paper bag when you hyperventilate? Because the brown paper bag enhances CO2 uptake which makes you able to breath. Cool right?
CO2 also increases blood flow to all the bodybuilders reading this. CO2 is given to stroke patients to increase blood flow after a stroke. Another interesting thing is that carbonated water increases parasympathetic nervous system activity. The type of nervous system that contributes to countering stress and fight or flight mode (sympathetic nervous system). Increasing parasympathetic state also increases heart rate variability a measure of recovery!!
Still not convinced? There are some compelling evidence to suggest that CO2 can decrease cancer growth/ development as well as other disease states. Most of these disease states thrive under alkaline environments. The acidity can increase apoptosis (suicide of these disease cells). And if that isn’t enough it seems to inhibit the conversion of normal cells to cancer cells by a gene known as HIF- Alpha!
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