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Carbonation is the process of adding carbon dioxide to water, creating small bubbles that make drinks fizzy. It can occur naturally or artificially and has benefits such as shelf stability and added flavor. Carbonation is also present in fermented beverages and is absorbed quickly by the body, aiding in the absorption of alcohol. While some claim it has negative health effects, it has been consumed for a long time and can have benefits such as relieving nausea and protecting against microbes in water.
Carbonation is a phenomenon in which carbon dioxide is suspended in water, creating small bubbles. It can occur both naturally and artificially, as a result of the introduction of carbon dioxide into a liquid. This phenomenon is what makes drinks carbonated and fizzy, although the fizzy sensation isn’t actually caused by the bubbles themselves, but rather by the chemicals that produce the bubbles.
There are a number of reasons people use carbonation in making beverages. One thing about carbonation is that it drives out oxygen, which can make a beverage shelf stable as long as it’s sealed, keeping out microbes that need oxygen to survive. Many people have also noticed that carbonation adds flavor, as seen when someone drinks “flat” soda that has been opened and left out, allowing carbon dioxide to escape. Soda tends to taste dull and less dynamic without carbonation.
Historically, carbonation has occurred naturally in many fermented beverages such as beer because carbon dioxide is a waste product produced by the yeasts that are an integral part of the fermentation process. Carbonation is also the process behind the holes that appear in cheese and bread, by the way. The amount of carbonation that occurs can be controlled, to some extent, and more is sometimes added by modern breweries. Carbonation explains why beer must be kept under pressure so that the gas does not escape.
The effects of consuming carbonated drinks on the body can vary. Much of the carbon dioxide actually escapes before it enters the digestive tract, in the form of burps. CO2 that makes it to the gut is absorbed quickly, and as a result, it can help other things in the digestive tract to be absorbed quickly as well. This is one reason why carbonated drinks seem to “go to the head” so quickly, because CO2 actually aids in the absorption of alcohol. Carbon dioxide absorbed by the body is finally expressed by the lungs.
Some people have claimed that consuming carbonated drinks will have deleterious effects on health. Since humans have been drinking carbonated liquids for a long time, these claims should be taken with a grain of salt. In fact, drinking carbonated drinks is sometimes recommended for people who feel nauseous, showing that it can have some benefits, and drinking carbonated water while traveling can protect against some microbes in the water, as they cannot survive in properly carbonated water.
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