Sparkling coffee may be a new way to jazz up your morning caffeine boost. Made with coffee or espresso, sparkling mineral water, and citrus, it may be a gut- and heart-healthy alternative to regular coffee.

“Sparkling coffee takes healthy beverages and wraps them into one drink,” Bethany Doerfler, MS, RD, a senior clinical research dietitian at the Digestive Health Institute at Northwestern Medicine, told Verywell in an email.

Coffee has antioxidants that promote anti-inflammatory gut bacteria. Combining this with unsweetened, zero-calorie sparkling water and a squeeze of citrus is a great alternative to soda, she added.

Research shows that drinking coffee can help protect against type 2 diabetes, depression, and heart disease. Sparkling water has not been studied as extensively as coffee, but it may aid weight loss and support hydration.

While sparkling coffee is not a magic wellness potion, coffee lovers might want to shake things up with this hydrating energy boost.

Is Sparkling Coffee Healthier Than Regular Coffee?

Coffee has health-promoting antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. However, people who don’t enjoy black coffee may try to enhance the flavor with sweeteners or creamers, making the drink less nutritious. For those individuals, sparkling coffee may serve as a healthier option.

“Regular coffee offers the most antioxidants and is superior to this drink, but not everyone likes the taste or the amount of caffeine it delivers. This can be a fun alternative to try,” Doerfler said.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends that people stick to less than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Canned sparkling coffee available on the market has between 100 mg to 150 mg but you can have better control of the caffeine amount when preparing it at home.

For example, one cup of coffee, or 8 fluid ounces, has about 92 mg of caffeine. So if you brewed a half cup for your sparkling coffee, the beverage would only have 46 mg of caffeine.

“For people that want some caffeine but don’t want so much, it’s a nice alternative to give you a little bit and also keep you hydrated,” Grace A. Derocha, MBA, RD, CDCES, a Detroit-based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Verywell.

Is Sparkling Coffee More Hydrating?

Coffee is a mild diuretic, which means it increases urine output, but it is not necessarily dehydrating. But, if you do want a hydrating beverage, just add the sparkling water.

Using sparkling mineral water means you’re getting some electrolytes along with the coffee’s antioxidants, Derocha said. Electrolytes help support muscle function, promote a steady heart rate, and balance your body’s water and acid-base levels.

Staying hydrated is important for good digestion and preventing gastrointestinal (GI) issues like constipation.

“Your GI system needs the hydration, the water, to move particles around. You need water in your everyday life to support the cells and cell structure. So overall, you need hydration to keep things going,” Florence-Damilola Oyinola Odufalu, MD, gastroenterologist with Keck Medicine of USC, told Verywell.

This doesn’t mean sparkling coffee is the best way to relieve constipation. Bloating is common with constipation, and you would likely get more bloating after drinking a sparkling beverage, Odufalu added.

Should You Try Sparkling Coffee?

While sparkling coffee is generally safe and healthy, some might want to skip this trend. The drink could make reflux symptoms worse for people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or make bloating and diarrhea worse in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

You can likely find sparkling coffee at a cafe or grocery store. You can also prepare the beverage at home: mix your desired amount of coffee or espresso with sparkling water and a slice of citrus. Pick whatever citrus you want—orange, lemon, grapefruit, or lime—but don’t expect health benefits just from squeezing it into your drink.

“There’s not enough to say you ate an orange with sparkling coffee. There’s no fiber; it’s more of a flavor thing,” Derocha said. “I definitely like that flavor. For me, I think it adds an element of joy.”