As a species, we love carbonated drinks. The fizz on our tongues, that distinct sharp stinging and sensation gives the feel of hydrating in a more cool way, but there is a part to it that makes excess consumption very harmful to the body.

You see, to make these “delicious” drinks, you need to saturate a super cold liquid with carbon dioxide under high pressure, and when that CO2 dissolves in water, it creates carbonic acid. Several reports have stated that the acid disintegrates the enamel of your teeth or even causes kidney stones. Neither of which sounds any good, but the truth is that carbonation or carbonic acids is not fully responsible for these. Instead, another acid is to blame – one that isn’t found in bubbly water at all; phosphoric acid.

Phosphoric acid is colourless, odourless acid made from the mineral phosphorus, and it gets added to dark coloured colas for flavor, which helps balance the sweetness of all the added sugar. It also helps prevent bacteria and mold growth and those things can thrive in sugary mixtures, and these are not things that you want in your colas. Overall, phosphorous isn’t bad; it is actually an important mineral for human health. Our bodies use it for things that range from creating healthy teeth and bones, to maintaining kidney function, to storing energy. But too much phosphorus can be a problem, especially when it is artificially added to food and drinks. A lot of foods are naturally phosphorous rich, but your body only partially absorbs this organic phosphorus.

Meanwhile, your body absorbs 100% of the inorganic phosphorous that is added to food and drinks – like the phosphoric acid in colas and that can lead to an excessive amount of it in the body, and this could trigger several consequences. For instance, phosphoric acid is thought to cause kidney stones. The most common kidney stones are made from calcium oxalate, and studies have found that phosphoric acid changes urine composition and causes a rise in oxalate. This extra oxalate can then crystallize in the bladder and cause kidney stones. Besides that, this acid also isn’t great for your teeth: since it is acidic, it’s proven to erode the enamel of your teeth.

Now don’t take all these to mean that you should never drink a cola – like doctors say; moderation is key – but it does mean you might want to stop taking soft drinks with almost every meal in the name of fine dining.