Water intoxication
 

There was something on the news around here over the weekend about a 28 yr old mother of 3 who entered a radio station contest. They had to drink as much water as possible w/out going to the bathroom. This was for some new electronic something or other.

This woman won. What a sad victory. Her mother found her dead that afternoon.

What wasn't said in any of the newscasts was this woman's physical size, how much water she drank and in what amount of time.

Many of the fraternities started water drinking contests years ago instead of beer and we heard about some deaths related to that.

How much water is too much? I know that you can drink too much and mess up your electrolytes. I drink about a gallon a day. If I'm camping or it's hot, I may drink more.

It's a sad way for those 3 kids to start their year.

It said in the UK papers that she was drinking 300mls every 15 mins and this had been going on for hours. I don't know how much she had in total.

I heard reports that she drank a gallon of water, but that was in a VERY short amount of time.

The National Academies of Science recommend 91oz of water for women, and 125oz of water for men. That would make up 80% of your water intake. The remaining 20% comes from food and other drinks.

I heard that on our news too. It didn't give any indication of how much she drank or the amount of time she did it in.

I wonder if she had some other underlying problem.

my prayers to her family.

I heard about this and was also wondering "How much is too much?" I'm interested to hear some answers on this...

I have had as much as 256oz (8 liters) in a day....

I think with water intoxication, the amount you drink is secondary to how fast you drink it. Your kidney's can filter .9-1.5L/hr. I think you're in trouble if you're drinking more than that per hour.

1) the woman didn't win, she was second place -
2) the results of death from "water intoxication" is attributed to sodium thrown off balance (the same happens a lot with marathon runners, long-distance athletes who drink only water - they're sweating out the electrolytes that are not getting replenished). And I don't think in any normal circumstance woudl we drink enough water for this to happen (since we would naturally, you know, pee! ~ as well as eat salty foods.)

Now, this is by no means an endorsement for gatorade or sports drinks (most of us don't exercise long enough for this to become an issue) - and yes, disheartening news, but as noted in the story - a nurse tried to call in about the warnings of such a contest, but she was dismissed.

LA Times (AP) version of the story:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...nes-california

I stand corrected on the winning part.

I can't help but think that there just may be a lawsuit against the radio station. I know she signed a waiver, but in Calif., those usually mean nothing. By the same token, that radio station probably reported the deaths at the fraternities several years ago. Did they not listen to their own broadcasts?

I only heard it on the radio. I didn't read any articles about it. Thank you for that.

its happened also to people trying to dilute their pee for a drug scren...stupid it wont help. As long as you are eating food and not fasting, hyponatremia is very rare

I just heard on CNN that she drank 2 gallons in 2 hours...at least that's what I think they said

Why wouldn't it help? I can understand if there was a blood test. But wouldn't peeing excessively wash much of that out? I'm not challenging you on this. I was just under the assumption that drinking a lot of water and peeing was a way to wash toxins out.

It will dilute drug traces yes, but most drugscreens will either pick up the trace amounts, or if you successfully dilute your urine to the point that it couldnt (i.e. you are peeing out nearly pure water), the other components of urine will be so diluted that most reliable drugscreeners will catch that it is an overly dilute sample and flag for retesting.

What I've read and follow myself is 8 to 10 8-oz. glasses per day. Not 12-oz., not 16-oz., but 8-oz. It's not something where you can double it and have it work twice as well. ;) I think it's really too bad that the radio station held such a stupid, dangerous contest. They ought to be held accountable.

Also, if one is exercising vigorously, such as running a marathon or playing football, too much water without enough salts is really dangerous. That's why drinks like gatorade were invented. They have not just sodium but also potassium, which is really necessary for regular heartbeat. Many people do not get enough potassium. I'm sure you've seen athletes get muscle cramps--in part that's because of not enough salts.

A can of V-8 juice or other vegetable juice really helps the electrolyte balance. If I'm having leg cramps at night, I drink a can before bed. One of the little cans. They also have hardly any calories.

Jay

Jay that is a really great idea!! v-8 before bed!! I never thought about it. I drink 120 oz of water during the day, it helps fill me up and My skin looks great!!