sick? Drinking water no good

[stratego]

LONDON (Reuters) - Drinking plenty of fluids while suffering from a cold or respiratory infection could cause more harm than good, researchers said Friday.

Doctors often recommend drinking liquids to prevent dehydration but Chris Del Mar, of the University of Queensland in Australia, said not enough research has been done to prove it is good advice.

"We found data to suggest that giving fluids to patients with respiratory infections may cause harm," Del Mar said in a report in the British Medical Journal.

The body releases large amounts of a water-conserving hormone when a person has a respiratory infection such as a cold or bronchitis.

Drinking more when these levels are high could lead to fluid overload and a condition known as hyponatraemia, or low concentrations of sodium which is needed for normal body functions.

Del Mar and his team searched the medical literature and talked to experts but could not find any randomized controlled trials comparing the impact of increased or restricted water drinking during a cold.

"Until we have this evidence, we should be cautious about universally recommending increased fluids to patients, especially those with infections of the lower respiratory tract," Del Mar added.

LINK

 

[Crowpocalyptic1]

That's an interesting concept. I may have to use that next time I'm sick and someone tries to get me to drink more water.

 

[MrPresident]

Rest is the best advice if you're ill.

 

[Double Barrel]

I would venture that dehydration is much more dangerous than too much fluids. In addition, I firmly believe that water is a good cleansing agent for the body.

 

[jpowers]

Don't drink the water in the US. Since Bush's EPA made all water pollution prevention measures optional and industry self-regulated, it's pretty much equivalent to drinking a chemistry set.

 

[Achinz]

IIRC drinking too much water can produce the effect of intoxication.

I wonder though with the body's inherent ability to restore its equilibrium whether there would be a heightened craving for salt when the body is in water-overload ie the reverse of thirst when there's excess salt.

 

[stratego]

IIRC drinking too much water can produce the effect of intoxication.

I'm assuming you're talking about water poisoning. Can you actually drink enough water that it acts as poisonous chemical? I would imagine you'll feel too "full" before water does any chemical damage, unless you rupture your bladder

 

[WillJ]

Originally posted by stratego
I'm assuming you're talking about water poisoning. Can you actually drink enough water that it acts as poisonous chemical? I would imagine you'll feel too "full" before water does any chemical damage, unless you rupture your bladder

It's certainly possible to get too much water (even when not in the condition that this article discusses); after all, any substance is posionous when taken above a certain dosage. However, I'm pretty sure "too much" for water is a ridiculously high amount that you'd never have to worry about reaching.

Originally posted by Achinz
I wonder though with the body's inherent ability to restore its equilibrium whether there would be a heightened craving for salt when the body is in water-overload ie the reverse of thirst when there's excess salt.

Good question.

A bit off-topic, but does anyone else here get "thirst attacks"? I get these fairly often. By this I mean fairly suddenly I'll become extremely thirsty, with no other symptoms, and then usually I'll get a minor fever or something. Often in one day during one of these illnesses I'll have to drink more than two gallons (equivalent to about five liters, if I'm not mistaken) of water and Gatorade. Each "attack" lasts 2-3 days. I'm the only one that I know of that this (regularly) happens to. And I always try to get adequate amounts of water each day, so I don't think it's dehydration.

 

[Achinz]

@stratego:
I gather for the conclusion of drunkenness to have been reached it would have been manifested before any major damage has been done organically.

On can think of an optimum concentration of water in the body which if this is deviated too far from, would cause some pronounced physiological effects.

Edit: addressee specified; relevance of post crossed by wilf's preceding

 

[gael]

More studies are saying alcohal is good for you, now they are saying water is bad.

They had it right in middle ages all along. Drink beer, forget water.

 

[Goober]

Well, this is kinda obvious. If you are thristy, drink water, but don't keep drinking it. If your stomach feels upset, gernerally drink Ginger Ale, that usually settles your stomach.

Ohh, and Victoria has some of the best drinking water in North America, if not the world. Just wanted to brag about that a little bit . . .

*takes a healthy swig of water*

 

[KaNick]

Generally problems that arrise from drinking too much water build up over a long time. Although it is possible to be poisoned in a short time, over 12 large glasses of water would need to be drank in about a hour or two.

*takes a healthy swig of water*

*grabs bottle of water and shakes fists at Goober*

 

[Goober]

Originally posted by GrandMasta Nick
*grabs bottle of water and shakes fists at Goober*

*takes a healthy swig of our fresh, clean, soft tap water, and leans back, smug look upon his face*

 

[Achinz]

Originally posted by RealGoober
Ohh, and Victoria has some of the best drinking water...

Definitely, but not

in North America, if not the world. [/B]

Should have been Australia of course.

 

[Renata]

Originally posted by stratego


I'm assuming you're talking about water poisoning. Can you actually drink enough water that it acts as poisonous chemical? I would imagine you'll feel too "full" before water does any chemical damage, unless you rupture your bladder

It's possible, but it requires some pretty unusual circumstances. Endurance athletes who drink lots of plain water without replacing electrolytes while exercising for several hours can suffer from hyponatremia (low salt), which IIRC can actually kill you. Don't remember the symptoms. Some drugs and medications (ecstasy is one) are anti-diuretics, causing retention of water; if lots of water is drunk in a short period while taking one of these substances, it can lead to severe headaches and other symptoms from excess water in the tissues around the brain. This is what's called water intoxication, I think, and this can also kill you. Apparently the deaths of a few people while taking ecstasy are actually attributable to this; the people thought they needed to drink a lot of water while taking it, overdid it, and killed themselves.

Ren

 

[Drewcifer]

Hmm. The thread title has two different meanings depending on whether drinking is a verb or an adjective. When I looked at it my first thought was mass sickness a la Milwaukee.

 

[Goober]

Originally posted by Achinz

Definitely, but not Should have been Australia of course.

Ok, ok, but some of the better tap water in North America? Maybe the Americas. Not in the world, I was going overboard . . .

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by stratego
I'm assuming you're talking about water poisoning.

water intoxication = water poisoning = hyponatraemia (intoxication = poisoning, drunk intoxication = poisoned by ethanol). We have had two death in San Antonio in my memory to it, both from persons who had been sweating on a hot day, had lost a lot of salt, and swilled down a large volumen of water without any salt.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I read an article a few days which purported to prove that alcohol more dangerous of water; it told of an American guy who had won a water drinking contest, and a Russian guy who had won a vodka drinking context. The Russian died, while the American merely ended up in a coma in hospital. The real lesson would seem to be "don't participitate in any drinking competition".

More on topic, I tend to have increased thirst when I'm having a cold, so I'm rather hoping it turns out it's infact not unhealthy to drink extra then ...