If you're anything like us, you likely give yourself a mental pat on the back when you opt for a sparkling water over a sugar-laden fizzy drink.

When you're in the throes of a hangover, it feels particularly virtuous to choose sparkling water, but it turns out that consuming the carbonated drink can cause effects which many of us may be oblivious to.

Put simply, it can massively accelerate your appetite.

According to a study published in the journal of Obesity Research and Clinical Practice, the presence of carbon dioxide triggers a hormone in the digestive system called ghrelin, which alerts you to feelings of hunger.

Using rats in an initial study, researchers from the Birzeit University in Palestine gave the rodents tap water, flat soda, carbonated soda, and diet carbonated soda. Under scrutiny for six months, the rats who consumed the carbonated beverages ate more food than their counterparts.

But wait; why is sparkling water getting called out when the rats drank other carbonated drinks?

Well, when researchers studied human reaction to carbonated drinks, they established that men who drank sparkling water following their breakfasts had a staggering six times more ghreline in their bodies than those who drank still water.

We all knew fizzy drinks had their downsides, but we were certain we were playing it safe with a few bottles of sparkling water.

Looks like it's back to tap for us…