Drinking too much water can be harmful to health, even leading to death in some cases, according to a new report. Recently, at least 14 athletes, including marathon runners and football players, have died from consuming too much water while working out.
Hyponatremia is a serious medical condition, marked by dangerously low levels of sodium in the bloodstream. When people take part in physical activity while consuming too much liquid, exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) can result. This is triggered when the extra liquid overwhelms the kidneys and those organs are unable to eliminate excess water. This liquid then dilutes sodium levels in the body, which can lead to swelling of cells, often causing harm or, occasionally, death.
Mild cases of EAH, also known as water intoxication, are marked by dizziness, nausea and puffiness of the skin. More severe incidents can involve confusion, headache and vomiting.
New guidelines from an international panel of 17 experts suggest athletes should only drink water when they are thirsty.
"Using the innate thirst mechanism to guide fluid consumption is a strategy that should limit drinking in excess and developing hyponatremia while providing sufficient fluid to prevent excessive dehydration," the new recommendations suggest.
Dehydration during exercise is less dangerous than most people believe and has a minimal impact on performance, the panel of experts determined.
Traditionally, many people advising athletes would suggest drinking more water than the athlete feels they need. Some guidelines suggested drinking on a set schedule or until urine runs clear. However, the risks of doing so may outweigh the benefits, which could be negligible.
"Muscle cramps and heatstroke are not related to dehydration. You get heat stroke because you're producing too much heat," James Winger from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, one of the members of the panel that developed the guidelines, told the press.
The majority of deaths from EAH occur during marathon training and in sports training camps. These new guidelines were released just in time for trainers and athletes to take advantage of the new information. Surveys have found 1 percent of marathon runners suffer from symptoms of EAH, and six times that number experienced asymptomatic versions of the health condition.
"Every single EAH death is tragic and preventable, if we just listen to our bodies and let go of the pervasive advice that if a little is good, then more must be better," Tamara Hew-Butler from Oakland University said.
Health professionals can treat EAH by administering a saline solution of three percent sodium. This is three percent higher than normal saline.
The new guidelines suggesting people participating in physical activity drink water only when thirsty was published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.
Photo: John Benson | Flickr
