Can Sparkling Water Cause Kidney Stones?

Many people wonder if sparkling water—often viewed as a healthy alternative to soda—has the potential to cause kidney stones.

Kidney stones are hard deposits made of minerals and salts that develop inside your kidneys.

The association between sparkling water and kidney stones hasn't been studied well, but it's though that increased water intake—either sparkling or still—could reduce the risk of kidney stones.

woman holding sparkling water with lemon slice

WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES

Many people view sparkling water—also known as seltzer water—as a healthier alternative to soda. But, if you drink a lot of it, it’s understandable to wonder how it may impact your health.

Do a quick online search, and you’ll find people asking whether the bubbly beverage can cause kidney stones, with some even mentioning that they developed them after picking up a sparkling water habit.

Here, urologists break down whether there's an actual link between sparkling water and kidney stones—or whether this is simply a myth.

What Are Kidney Stones?

Before digging into whether drinking sparkling water can cause kidney stones, it’s important to understand how stones form in the first place.

Kidney stones are hard deposits made of minerals and salts that develop inside your kidneys, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).1 

There are different types of kidney stones, but the most common are calcium stones. These form when calcium that isn’t used by your bones and muscles stays in your kidneys instead of being flushed out with urine.1 The calcium creates a pebble-like crystal structure when it joins with other waste products, most often oxalic acid that comes from foods such as spinach, almonds, and tofu.2

Another common type of kidney stone is uric acid stones, which may form when your urine contains too much uric acid. This chemical is produced when your body metabolizes purines—compounds found in alcohol, shellfish, and other foods.2

Kidney stones can cause intense symptoms, including sharp pains in your back, side, or groin; pink, red, or brown blood in your urine; a constant need to pee; and difficulty peeing.3

Is Seltzer Water Good for You?

Can Sparkling Water Cause Kidney Stones?

There are no double-blind, placebo-controlled studies—considered the gold standard in medical research—to determine whether sparkling water raises your risk of kidney stones. “This really hasn’t been studied well,” Wesley Mayer, MD, associate professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine, told Health. 

Still, sparkling water could potentially raise your risk of kidney stones in theory. Although research has shown that mineral content in sparkling waters varies, making it hard to make sweeping statements about how all fizzy water drinks might affect kidney stone risk, these beverages generally have certain standard ingredients.4

One is sodium bicarbonate (for fizz). This compound could potentially elevate your chances of developing kidney stones because having a high-sodium diet is a risk factor, S. Adam Ramin, MD, a urologist, urologic oncologist, and medical director of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles, California, told Health. Having one glass of sparkling water is unlikely to tip you over the edge, he noted, but guzzling a lot of it daily might. 

“At the same time, bicarbonate can affect the pH in urine, and a change in pH may lead to different types of kidney stones,” Ramin added. 

But this is theoretical. And, in fact, there’s a chance that drinking sparkling water can lower your risk of kidney stones.  

“Overall, any increased intake of either still or sparkling water should reduce the likelihood of kidney stones developing,” Philip Hoekstra, MD, a board-certified urologist at Corewell Health, told Health. “Inadequate fluid intake is the single most common cause of kidney stone formation.”

Vikas Desai, MD, a urologist at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, agreed. “[Sparkling water] can actually be preventative, depending on the mineral composition,” he told Health.

Interestingly, the calcium contained in many fizzy waters can only serve to help stave off kidney stones—not cause them. According to Ramin, calcium from food doesn’t impact kidney stone risk. But per the National Kidney Foundation, it does bind with oxalate in the intestine. Without calcium, oxalate passes into the urine, increasing the risk of a kidney stone.5

WaterTok: Flavored Water Recipes Are All Over TikTok—But Are They Healthy?

Common Causes of Kidney Stones

While it’s unclear whether sparkling water consumption causes kidney stones, there are several known risk factors for stones.

“The biggest causes we see from a dietary standpoint are not enough water, not enough fruits and veggies, too much dietary sodium, and too much non-dairy animal protein,” Mayer said.

According to the NIDDK, other risk factors include:1

Being male

Having a family history of kidney stones

Having certain medical conditions, like obesity, bowel inflammation, and some kidney diseases

Taking select medications, including diuretics and calcium-based antacids

Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Stones (Renal Calculi or Nephrolithiasis)

How to Prevent Kidney Stones

Healthcare providers will typically suggest specific dietary and lifestyle tweaks, or medication, for people who’ve had kidney stones, Jennifer Lloyd-Harris, MD, MPH, a board-certified urologist and assistant professor of clinical surgery at Penn Medicine, told Health.

If you’ve never had a kidney stone, here are some general recommendations for preventing one from developing, according to the doctors Health spoke to:

Drink enough liquid to pass two liters of urine a day.

Eat a diet low in foods containing oxalate.

Try to avoid foods high in sodium, such as deli meats or pre-prepared foods.

Be cautious about taking calcium supplements, which may raise your kidney stone risk (even though dietary calcium shouldn’t).

Limit your daily intake of protein to a quantity that is no bigger than a pack of playing cards.

As for your sparkling water intake, Ramin said it “may be helpful” to cut back if you’re drinking a lot of it. “If you’re consuming a liter or two a day, you need to have less,” he said.