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New research shows guzzling water while exercising can be fatal.
A study published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine shows at least 14 people have died from drinking too much water while doing sport.
The problem, authors say, is when people who are playing sport or exercising “preload” or over-hydrate rather than just drinking when they are thirsty.
Flooding the body with liquid can cause a life-threatening condition called exercise associated hyponatremia (EAH), the report says.
“In the summer of 2014, two otherwise healthy 17-year-old high-school football players died,” the report abstract says.
“In both cases, the common denominator was excessive fluid consumption; a peril that has been well described in athletes and had been the subject of two previous consensus documents on (EAH).”
“Unfortunately, despite strong evidence of the dangers of overly aggressive fluid intake beyond the body’s maximal fluid excretion rate, many athletes, coaches, trainers, and lay public continue to embrace the idea that “hyperhydration” has some health and performance benefits.”
Symptoms of EAH include headache, vomiting, confusion, and seizures.
The authors highlight there is no one-size-fits-all approach to how much water to drink when exercising, but argue it’s best to only drink when thirsty.
