The Game

January 5, 2010

Today I received an e-mail from a friend asking me to join The Game. The Game is a fitness and healthy lifestyle challenge that is played for four consecutive weeks. The goal is to gain points each week for completing certain healthy behaviours, such as eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising, et cetera. One can receive 10 points for drinking three litres of water per day. Three litres seems like a lot to me; I am a regular water drinker and sometimes have difficulty with two litres, which is the recommended 8 glasses of 250 millilitres per day. This led me to think of the Californian woman who died in 2007 from participating in a "Hold your wee for a Wii" radio contest. Today's question is: how much water will lead to water intoxication?


A: Water intoxication, or overhydration, is caused by ingesting large quantities of water over a short period of time. Too much water lowers the concentration of salt in the blood, water then seeps into surrounding cells to balance the electrolytes in the body, which causes the organs to swell. If the brain swells, this can cause fatal results - which is what happened to Jennifer Strange, the victim of "hold your wee for a Wii". When the brain swells, it puts pressure on the skull and can damage vital regions that regulate body functions such as breathing.

It is recommended to drink between two to three litres of water per day, as adults receive additional hydration through food consumption. However, a healthy adult kidney is able to process up to 15 litres of water a day if drank in small quantities over a period of time.

It seems that my question has no clear-cut answer. The amount of water necessary for each individual is based on diet, exercise and environment; and the body is equipped to process a large amount of water. Water intoxication is based on two factors - volume and time - one will only experience this condition if too much liquid is consumed in too little time.

Sources:
About.com Chemistry: Water Intoxication and Hyponatremia
Associated Content: Water Intoxication: How Much Water is Too Much?
BBC: Why is too much water dangerous. January 15, 2007