San Pellegrino is a perfectly healthy drink for most people, and it may offer a few modest benefits you would not get from plain tap water. As a naturally carbonated mineral water sourced from the Italian Alps, it contains calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, and sulfate picked up as the water filters through limestone over roughly thirty years underground. The carbonation and mineral content have both been studied in various contexts, and the findings paint a mostly positive picture with a handful of caveats worth knowing about.
What Is Actually in the Bottle
San Pellegrino’s label lists a mineral composition that includes roughly 174 mg/L of calcium, 51 mg/L of magnesium, 445 mg/L of bicarbonate, and about 33 mg/L of sodium. Those numbers matter because mineral waters are not all the same. A survey of 126 sparkling water brands across ten European countries found enormous variation in mineral content from one brand to the next, which means health findings from one mineral water do not automatically apply to another.1PubMed Central. Variations in the mineral content of bottled ‘carbonated or sparkling’ water across Europe: a comparison of 126 brands across 10 countries San Pellegrino falls into a moderate range for most minerals: not extremely high in sodium, reasonably rich in calcium and magnesium, and notably high in bicarbonate and sulfate.
The calcium and magnesium in mineral water are bioavailable, meaning your body can actually absorb them. If you drink a liter of San Pellegrino, you are getting roughly 17% of the daily calcium recommendation and about 12% of the magnesium target. That is not a replacement for food sources, but it is a genuine contribution, especially if your diet runs low in dairy or leafy greens. The bicarbonate content turns out to be the most interesting ingredient from a health standpoint, as several of the measurable benefits in the research trace back to it.
Digestion and Constipation
One of the most consistent findings in the research is that carbonated mineral water helps with indigestion and sluggish bowels. A controlled trial had people with functional dyspepsia and constipation drink either carbonated water or tap water for two weeks. Those on carbonated water saw significant improvements in both their dyspepsia scores and constipation scores, while the tap water group showed no meaningful change.2PubMed. Effects of carbonated water on functional dyspepsia and constipation The improvement in constipation was substantial enough that the researchers considered it clinically meaningful, not just statistically detectable.
The mechanism is partly mechanical. Carbon dioxide stimulates the stomach lining and promotes gastric motility, essentially nudging things along. For people who deal with occasional constipation or that uncomfortable feeling of fullness after eating, swapping still water for sparkling mineral water at meals is one of the simpler interventions that has actual evidence behind it. That said, if you have irritable bowel syndrome with bloating as a primary symptom, the gas from carbonation could make things temporarily worse before your gut adjusts.
The Satiety Effect
Carbonated water produces a noticeable feeling of fullness compared to still water, and the research suggests this is not just the sensation of having a bubbly stomach. A study in healthy young women found that carbonated water significantly increased fullness scores and also raised heart rate slightly, pointing to a real physiological response involving the autonomic nervous system rather than a purely subjective “I feel bloated” reaction.3Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. The Effects of Carbonated Water upon Gastric and Cardiac Activities and Fullness in Healthy Young Women
A follow-up study from the same research group went further and tested whether the satiety effect comes from the carbonation hitting your mouth or from the gas reaching your stomach. They found that even the oral sensation of carbonation alone was enough to increase fullness and reduce hunger, independent of what happened in the gut.4Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. Oral Carbonation Attenuates Feeling of Hunger and Gastric Myoelectrical Activity in Young Women The effect was short-lived, lasting roughly 30 to 40 minutes, but it is real. If you are trying to eat less at meals, drinking sparkling water beforehand is a low-cost trick with some scientific backing. It will not transform your appetite, but it adds a small edge.
Cholesterol and Heart Health
This is where the evidence gets genuinely interesting and where the bicarbonate in San Pellegrino’s mineral profile becomes relevant. Multiple studies have looked at what happens when people regularly drink sodium-bicarbonated mineral water, and the cholesterol changes are surprisingly consistent.
In postmenopausal women, drinking about a liter of sodium-bicarbonated mineral water daily for two months lowered total cholesterol by about 7%, dropped LDL cholesterol by nearly 15%, and raised HDL cholesterol by close to 9%. Fasting blood sugar also decreased by about 7%. The overall cardiovascular risk ratios improved markedly.5PubMed. A sodium-rich carbonated mineral water reduces cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women A separate study in younger adults with moderately high cholesterol found a similar pattern: total cholesterol fell by about 6%, and LDL dropped by 10% over eight weeks of drinking bicarbonated mineral water.6The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. Reduction in cardiovascular risk by sodium-bicarbonated mineral water in moderately hypercholesterolemic young adults
A third study in adults with elevated lipid levels found that mineral water rich in calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate also significantly lowered total cholesterol and LDL after one month, though it did not change HDL or triglycerides.7PubMed Central. Hypolipidemic activity of a natural mineral water rich in calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate in hyperlipidemic adults The consistency across these studies is notable: every one found LDL went down. The proposed explanation involves bicarbonate’s alkalinizing effect on the body, which appears to influence bile acid metabolism and cholesterol clearance.
Before you start thinking of San Pellegrino as a cholesterol treatment, though, some context. These studies used specific mineral waters with known compositions, the participants had elevated cholesterol to begin with, and the studies were small. The effects are real in these settings but have not been tested in large-scale trials. And San Pellegrino’s bicarbonate content, while high for a bottled water, varies from the exact formulations used in these studies. Still, if you are already drinking sparkling water, the mineral content is doing something mildly useful beyond just hydrating you.
Does It Hurt Your Bones
The worry that carbonated water weakens bones is one of the most durable health myths attached to sparkling water, and it is largely unfounded. The confusion stems from studies on cola, which showed associations with lower bone mineral density in women. Cola contains phosphoric acid, which is a different story from the carbonic acid in plain sparkling water. An important study of older women specifically examined this question and found that bone mineral density was not associated with intake of any type of carbonated beverage after adjusting for the usual confounders like age, calcium intake, and exercise.8PubMed Central. Carbonated beverage consumption and bone mineral density among older women: the Rancho Bernardo Study
In fact, the bicarbonate in mineral water may slightly help bones rather than hurt them. A study looking at calcium-sufficient young women found that drinking bicarbonate-rich mineral water reduced markers of bone resorption, the process by which bone tissue breaks down. Specifically, parathyroid hormone levels and a marker called C-telopeptides both dropped significantly with the bicarbonate-rich water compared to water low in bicarbonate.9International Congress Series. Bicarbonate from mineral water lowers bone resorption even in calcium sufficiency The mechanism is straightforward: bicarbonate helps buffer the mild metabolic acid load your body generates from a typical Western diet, so your skeleton does not have to donate calcium for that purpose. The effect is modest, but the direction is positive, not negative.
What About Your Teeth
Dental erosion is a more legitimate concern than bone loss, but the risk from plain sparkling mineral water is minimal. The key question is whether the carbonic acid in sparkling water is acidic enough to dissolve tooth enamel over time. Lab testing of mineral waters and soft drinks found that sparkling mineral waters did cause slightly more enamel dissolution than still water, but the levels were extremely low and roughly a hundred times less than what soft drinks caused.10PubMed. Investigation of mineral waters and soft drinks in relation to dental erosion
The mineral content of San Pellegrino actually helps here. Calcium and other dissolved minerals in the water raise its saturation level, meaning the water is less “hungry” for minerals from your teeth than a low-mineral sparkling water or a citric-acid-containing flavored sparkling water would be. The real dental risk from carbonated beverages comes from added sugars and citric acid in sodas and flavored seltzers, not from the CO₂ itself. If you are sipping plain San Pellegrino throughout the day, your teeth are fine. If you are squeezing lemon into every glass, the citric acid adds a bit more erosive potential, but still far less than a soft drink.
Acid Reflux and the Carbonation Question
If you deal with frequent heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux, sparkling water deserves a more cautious look. A systematic review of carbonated beverages and reflux found that carbonation can temporarily lower the pressure at the base of the esophagus, which is the muscular valve that keeps stomach contents from traveling upward.11PubMed. Systematic review: the effects of carbonated beverages on gastro-oesophageal reflux disease A lower pressure at that valve means reflux is more likely to occur, at least briefly.
However, the evidence base for this is thin. An evidence review noted that while some studies found carbonated soft drink consumption predicted reflux symptoms, no trials had actually tested whether stopping carbonated beverages improved reflux outcomes.12JAMA Internal Medicine. Are Lifestyle Measures Effective in Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease? An Evidence-Based Approach The research that does exist generally lumps sparkling water together with cola and other carbonated drinks, making it hard to separate the effect of CO₂ alone from the effects of caffeine, sugar, and phosphoric acid. The practical advice: if you already have reflux and notice that sparkling water makes it worse, cut back. If you do not have reflux, there is no strong reason to worry about sparkling water triggering it.
Sodium Content and Blood Pressure
San Pellegrino contains about 33 mg of sodium per liter. If you drink a liter a day, that adds roughly 33 mg to your daily sodium intake, which is trivial compared to the 2,300 mg daily limit most guidelines recommend. Even people on a low-sodium diet for blood pressure management would find this negligible. For context, a single slice of bread typically has five to ten times more sodium than a liter of San Pellegrino.
A study that specifically tested whether sodium-rich carbonated mineral water affected blood pressure found no differences between the mineral water and a control, and no change from baseline blood pressure values.13PubMed. Sodium-rich carbonated natural mineral water ingestion and blood pressure This is reassuring given that some of the cholesterol-lowering studies mentioned earlier also used sodium-containing mineral water. The sodium in these waters is typically paired with bicarbonate, and there is reason to believe the bicarbonate may blunt the blood-pressure-raising effect that sodium chloride (table salt) is known for. In any case, San Pellegrino’s sodium level is low enough that it should not concern most people.
Kidney Stones
Hydration is the single most important factor in preventing kidney stones, and any water you drink helps. But the specific mineral composition of the water can influence stone risk either way. A study of calcium oxalate stone formers found that mineral water containing calcium and magnesium favorably altered several stone risk factors, including reducing oxalate excretion and improving citrate and magnesium levels in urine. The mineral water was more effective at shifting these markers than plain tap water, and male stone formers benefited the most.14PubMed. Effect of mineral water containing calcium and magnesium on calcium oxalate urolithiasis risk factors
This might seem counterintuitive. Calcium is a component of calcium oxalate stones, so wouldn’t drinking calcium-rich water make things worse? The opposite appears to be true. Dietary calcium binds oxalate in the gut before it can be absorbed and excreted through the kidneys, so consuming calcium with meals actually reduces the amount of oxalate reaching the urinary tract. That said, the review of 126 European sparkling water brands noted that patients with kidney stone disease should be aware that great variation exists between brands, and the mineral content of water can influence stone formation in either direction.1PubMed Central. Variations in the mineral content of bottled ‘carbonated or sparkling’ water across Europe: a comparison of 126 brands across 10 countries If you have a history of kidney stones, discussing your water choice with a urologist is sensible, but San Pellegrino’s calcium-and-magnesium profile is generally favorable.
Exercise Performance
Athletes and fitness enthusiasts may find bicarbonate-rich water mildly useful as a pre-exercise drink. Bicarbonate acts as a buffer against the lactic acid buildup that contributes to muscle fatigue during intense activity. A study on the effects of bicarbonate-rich water on high-intensity exercise found that it significantly altered acid-base balance during warm-up and after high-intensity exercise, increasing blood pH, lactate clearance, and bicarbonate concentrations. The researchers noted it could amplify the benefits of an alkalizing diet and reduce the acid load from an acidifying one.15PubMed Central. Influence of Ingestion of Bicarbonate-Rich Water Combined with an Alkalizing or Acidizing Diet on Acid-Base Balance and Anaerobic Performance
Sodium bicarbonate supplementation in larger doses (often called “baking soda loading”) has been studied for decades as an ergogenic aid in sprint-type sports. The bicarbonate in mineral water provides a much smaller dose than those protocols, so the performance gains from drinking San Pellegrino before a workout would be subtle at best. Still, if you are already hydrating before exercise, choosing bicarbonate-rich mineral water over plain water is a small optimization that aligns with the available evidence.
Microplastics in the Bottle
A topic that rarely comes up in mineral water marketing but probably should: microplastic contamination. A study analyzing beverages sold in France for microplastic particles produced a counterintuitive finding. Glass bottles were actually the most contaminated containers, not plastic ones. The researchers identified bottle caps as the likely main source, since most of the particles matched the color and composition of cap paint.16Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. Microplastic contaminations in a set of beverages sold in France
San Pellegrino is sold in both glass and plastic bottles. This study does not single out San Pellegrino, and the contamination levels found across all beverages were low enough that the health implications remain unclear. The broader microplastics-in-food debate is still playing out, and no regulatory body has set safety limits for microplastic ingestion yet. But if you assumed glass was automatically “cleaner,” the evidence suggests that assumption may be wrong, at least when it comes to particulate contamination from packaging materials.
Gut Microbiome Research
An emerging area of interest is whether mineral water composition influences the bacteria living in your gut. An animal study found that mice fed a high-fat diet but given a specific spring water showed 100-fold higher levels of Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium associated with healthier metabolism, compared to mice drinking regular water. The spring-water group also had less weight gain and better blood sugar control.17Natural Product Communications. High Levels of Akkermansia muciniphilia Growth Associated With Spring Water Ingestion Prevents Obesity and Hyperglycemia in a High-fat Diet-Induced Mouse Model
This is a mouse study with a specific spring water, not San Pellegrino, so it would be a stretch to claim that drinking San Pellegrino will reshape your gut microbiome. The finding is worth mentioning because it hints at an underappreciated dimension of water quality. The minerals, pH, and dissolved gases in the water you drink are not inert once they reach your intestines. They create a microenvironment that different bacteria respond to. Whether this will translate into practical dietary advice for humans is years of research away, but it adds to the picture of mineral water as something slightly more biologically active than just “water with bubbles.”