While concerned about protecting themselves from dehydration during physical exertion, many individuals might find a new danger lurking: excessive water intake.
Although water is necessary to maintain proper health, too much can be harmful and, in extreme cases, can result in a poisoning of the blood known as hyponatremia.
This illness can affect anyone but has recently made headlines on college campuses as well as among professional athletes.
On February 11, 2004, the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board released their findings after an ongoing study regarding water consumption among Americans. In their findings, women are recommended to drink 91 ounces of water a day and men require 125 ounces.
According to Marlene Baurer, a registered nurse at the Western New York Poison Center, this condition affects a person at the cellular level.
"You have electrolytes in your blood like chlorine, potassium, and sodium, and you need certain levels of those. When you drink too much water you dilute them, which leads to problems," said Baurer.
Due to the electrolyte deficiency, symptoms of hyponatremia include confusion, drowsiness, and in some cases, seizures and possibly death. Baurer also said hyponatremia requires very extreme conditions such as the consumption of large amounts of water over a short period of time.
Barbara Morrison, a registered nurse, indicated that certain groups of people are more likely to suffer from this condition than others.
"Diabetics and the elderly are more susceptible to water imbalances. Infants should also not be given water during episodes of diarrhea because water balances are very easily disturbed then," said Morrison.
Although certain individuals are naturally more susceptible to water imbalances, hyponatremia can affect otherwise healthy individuals who, ignorant to the risks of this illness, consume large amounts of water in a short period of time.
Some students recognize the possibility of hyponatremia occurring on college campuses.
"I don't think it's a threat for college students, except for fraternity pledges. I know of at least two fraternities on campus that force pledges to drink certain amounts of water in a certain amount of time," said Marcy Dexheimer, a junior classics major.
In November of 2003, eight brothers of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity at Southern Methodist University were arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon when a hazing ritual turned toxic, according to an MSNBC article. Braylon Curry, a pledge for the fraternity, slipped into a coma when he and fellow pledges were forced to drink gallons of water in a short period of time.
"I think it gets to be really dangerous when fraternities and sororities start to force their pledges to drink lots of water because they assume that just because it's water, nothing can go wrong," said Trevor Yannace, a sophomore undecided.
While fun and games has made hyponatremia a threat on certain college campuses, it gives drug users yet another reason to be wary.
Morrison said stimulants such as MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, can alter the body's hydration levels.
According to the American Council for Drug Education's Web site, the stimulating properties of the drug can lead to excessive sweating, dehydration, and insufficient electrolyte levels. Some drug users try to avoid the symptoms by drinking a lot of water - in some cases, too much water resulting in hyponatremia.
"I have heard about some people drinking too much water because of overcompensation," Benjamin Stearns, a senior psychology major.
To prevent the effects of hyponatremia, Morrison recommends drinking water with electrolytes and sodium during extreme exercise. Many sports drink companies tout the health benefits of the sodium and potassium contents of their products.
Most students said they aren't worried about this illness because of the nature of the condition.
"I can see how hyponatremia can be a threat but I think it is preventable," said Dexheimer. "People just need to be conscious of the risks and make intelligent choices."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
