Welcome to Straight Talk on Health. I’m your host Dr. Chet Zelasko. Straight Talk on Health. is a joint production with WGVU in Grand Rapids MI. I examine the practical application of health information. Nutrition. Exercise. Diet. Supplementation. I look at the science behind them, and let you know whether it’s something to consider or not. You can check out other things that I do on my website Drchet.com and sign up for my free emails.
Did you know there is a correlation of 96% between mozzarella cheese consumption and the number of doctorates in civil engineering? Did you know there is a perfect of 99% between the decline in margarine consumption and the divorce rate in Maine? Welcome to the new season of Straight Talk on Health.. I’ve decided to focus on a couple of areas this year. The first is to focus on the best diet to attain and maintain your health and also protect your brain. To give you a hint, think green first.
I’m going to continue to focus on the current health research to see what’s relevant and what’s not. Remember those correlations I begin with? They are meaningless. If there were a reason such as people working on doctorates in civil engineering ate more cheese pizzas than other people seeking degrees, maybe that would explain it in some weird way. Same with margarine and divorce in Maine. No possible explanation. They move up and down but there is no reason for the correlation. They just happen.
I’m going to focus on the practical interpretation of recent health research based on the published studies. We’re going to do a deep dive on probabilities and what they don’t mean. Don’t worry—there is no math required to understand. I’ll keep making the complex simple like I always try to do. That’s often missing in the research and interpretation thereof.
Finally, I’m going to finally achieve my goal of getting to a normal body weight for my height. If you’ve listened in the past, you know that, based on my observation of the Blue Zones that have been videoed over the years, the single most important thing you can do for your overall health and longevity is to get to that ideal weight for your height. Genetics certainly has a role to play and so does your environment over your lifetime. But you can overcome a lot by getting to a healthy weight and staying there. It’s about time I lead the way and do it myself. At the present, my BMI is 28.8. I will need to lose 24 pounds to get to a BMI of 24.9 or even a little lower. I’ll keep you posted with a goal of attaining that weight by the time this season is over.
I’m also going to create a presence in social media. I haven’t decided on a platform but sometimes a video demonstration of how to do something is just easier than it is to write it out. I am an exercise physiologist first and foremost and video certainly makes demonstrating stretches or weight training techniques easier. Same thing with checking the nutrition in products by looking at labels or even just demonstrating a cooking technique. I’ll be sure to let you know as this happens. That’s where we’re going this season with one more thing. If you like listening to these concise podcasts, like them and let your friends know about them.
Let’s kick things off with a study that got my attention about carbonated water. If you walk the aisles of a grocery store, you can’t help but see 100 feet of shelves full of water—not just the regular purified or distilled, but flavored with every fruit and herb imaginable with a net of no added calories. Included in that mix are plain carbonated water with no additives or flavor enhancers of any type. I admit that I have my favorite as well.
Earlier this year, a research group published a paper that asked the question, “Can carbonated water support weight loss?” They compared the rate of glucose metabolism in the red blood cells of people who drank carbonated water with data from those who undergo dialysis. Obviously, this is not a comparison that takes place in the body; it was done with samples from the subjects who volunteered for the study.
What happened? While the process the researchers used is complicated, the carbonated water increased the bicarbonate levels of the blood thus making it more alkaline. That stimulated the rate of glycolysis in the cells, and would theoretically, increase metabolism. If you don’t remember, glycolysis is the initial breakdown of sugar to make energy in the form of ATP.
Would drinking carbonated water have an impact on body weight long term? The researchers made it clear that nothing replaces a healthy diet and increasing exercise, because the number of calories used in the process is low. However, unflavored water of any type before a meal may help you eat less, and making it carbonated water may also help. Unless you have an issue with carbonated water, maybe it will give you a slight edge in your efforts.
When I say “issue with carbonated water,” that can happen if you have a digestive issue such as irritable bowel syndrome of Crohn’s disease. The carbonation might not agree with you. But those aren’t the only concerns people have so I may as well address those here as well.
One of the concerns is that carbonated water will leach calcium from bones. This is an issue that has been studied for decades. Carbonated water is not related to bone loss. Sugary carbonated drinks may be related to the loss of bone mineral content in young adult women and it may have something to do with phosphorous found in those drinks. But if you look at that research carefully, the reason bone mineral loss may occur, especially in young women, is that the intake of milk and other dairy products has decreased while the consumption of sugary carbonated beverages has increased. That makes many studies murky. But again, plain carbonated water doesn’t seem to impact bone mineral. But the influencers and gurus sure believe that it’s true so be cautious about who is doing the talking.
Another concern is that carbonated beverages may negatively impact the immune system. Again, there is no research to support that concern with plain carbonated water. However, the added sugars in sugary drinks may have an impact on the immune system. That would be no different than the regular consumption of other high sugar products especially if they are replacing other liquids in the diet.
Another potential hazard of a sugary drink, carbonated or not, is the increased risk of dental caries and possibly, an alteration of the bacteria in the mouth—which could also increase the risk of modifying the microbiome in the mouth and digestive system. That’s a topic for another STOH. For now, drinking water before eating has almost always shown to reduce food consumption—carbonated or not. Try it on a regular basis and see how it works for you!
Got one more thing for you. I recently talked with a physician who appeared to have lost a good deal of weight. I opened by commenting that I thought he looked leaner that he did last time I saw him—probably 3-4 months earlier. Turns out it was about 45 pounds. I told him that I thought he did a great job. He volunteered this so pay attention: I decided I’m not tracking calories or foods. I just decided to eat the same portions my wife eats. He said she was about 5’1” and weighed 110 pounds. He felt that was a good and reasonable way to get to a healthy body weight and stay there. Brilliant, just brilliant! Whether a significant other or someone else, if they seem to be naturally lean, eat the same portions you see them eat. Thus ends the lesson for this edition.
That’s all the time I have for this episode. If you like this podcast, please hit the like button and tell your friends and colleagues about it. Until next time, this is Dr. Chet Zelasko saying health is a choice. Choose wisely today and every day.
BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2025;:e0011082
