Water, Water...!!

[Scullywoo]

Is it possible to drink too much water? I understand that the recommended dose is 2 litres per day. However, somebody told me that you can drink too much water and it can cause adverse medical symptoms. Anyone?

[netty.m]

I'm sure it has something to do with the salt level in the body and drinking too much water effects it. 

[soonny]

YES.

There is a condition known as "water intoxication." It is usually associated with long distance events like running and cycling. And it�s not an unusual problem. For example, water intoxication was reported in 18% of marathon runners and in 29% of the finishers in a Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon in studies published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine and in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise respectively.

What happens is that as the athlete consumes large amounts of water over the course of the event, blood plasma (the liquid part of blood) increases. As this takes place, the salt content of the blood is diluted. At the same time, the athlete is losing salt by sweating. Consequently, the amount of salt available to the body tissues decreases over time to a point where the loss interferes with brain, heart, and muscle function.

The official name for this condition is hyponatremia (hypo - less, natremia - sodium/natrium (periodic table name). The symptoms generally mirror those of dehydration (apathy, confusion, nausea, and fatigue), although some individuals show no symptoms at all. As you need sodium to perform many of the metabolic functions, If untreated, hyponatremia can lead to coma and even death.

[iwantthatone]

I know someone who died of drinking too much water.  They were suffering depression.  It had the effect as described above - diluting important salts etc, until their body could not function properly.

[IndieSinger]

I studied in Heidelberg, Germany where I learned a great story about the risks involved for some people drinking too much water.

 

The castle in Heidelberg houses the world's largest wine cask - it's nearly 30 foot long, 23 foot in diameter and holds over 220,000 litres of wine!

It was watched over by a dwarf "wine steward" who went by the name of Perkeo which derived from the Spanish for "Why not?" because whenever offered a glass of wine (several times a day!), this was always his reply. In fact he drank nothing but wine ever throughout his long career.

Until one day, some pranksters (probably university students... ;-) switched his glass of wine for a glass of water. As soon as he gulped it down, he dropped down dead of heart failure. His body just couldn't cope with anything but wine - the water killed him instantly.

 

You can see statues and figurines of him all over Heidelberg. It's a great story, I think. A load of balls, but still great :)

 

There's a picture of him here.

 

[spainlads]

A friend once had a kidney problem and was told to drink 45 litres of water a day. In work she was either drinking or peeing, but couldn't drink anywhere never the 45 litres. Anyway she went back to the doctors a few days later and explained. The doctor started laughing out loud and said "No, 4 to 5 litres per day".

[Marvin84]

Scullywoo... have you heard of people taking Ecstasy which dries you out, so they try to re-hydrate themselves by drinking water and actually end up drowning....

[Octavius]

Water Intoxication is a disorder resulting from excessive retention of water in the brain.  Oedema is where too much fluid, mainly water, has accumulated in the body. The term comes from a Greek word meaning �a swollen condition�.  But these are not caused by drinking too much water.

The human body is made up of 70% water.  I think if you add 30% more, it's probably too much.   :o)