Yes. It is possible to drink too much water, if not enough sources of solutes are also consumed. For example, if a person drinks nothing but water and doesn't also eat food, that person can become very ill from it. This is called water toxicity and it can be fatal. The person may show signs and symptoms that aren't easily recognized as water toxicity in the early stages. These manifestations include, "confusion, disorientation, nausea, vomiting, changes in mental state and psychotic symptoms." If water toxicity isn't detected early it can be a very bad thing for the patient. Late symptoms include, "seizures, coma and death."
When I was a kid I read a storybook about some men who were sent to work in the camps in Siberia. In the story the men didn't have much to eat at all so they would often gorge themselves on water to try to stave off the hunger pangs. Some of them died because of it, and I always wondered why a person would die from drinking too much water.
In truth, the person didn't just die from drinking too much water. Death was a result of the starvation diet that didn't provide enough minerals to sustain the body. The excess water dangerously diluted the remaining minerals in the bodies of these men, to a point they could no longer remain alive. Along with the dangerously diluting solutes, the extra water floods the cells of the body causing massive, widespread edema. Edema in the brain is extremely dangerous, and it also explains the psychotic symptoms, seizures and coma.
In the book I read as a child, the men did suffer psychotic breakdowns where they began to talk gibberish and later had seizures and lapsed into comas. I had a lot of unanswered questions back then, but it makes sense now.
Resources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1770067/
- https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/water-intoxication#1
How much water should I be drinking?
The RDA for someone who burns 2000 kcalories a day is 8-12 cups of water. Roughly 64 to 96 ounces. My daily caloric intake is roughly 1500 calories. Doing the math, the person who eats 2000 calories is eating 166 calories per 1 cup of water. If I stick to the same scale, I'd need to drink approximately 9 cups of water for my 1500 calories. This is assuming I stay at the high end of the scale. The low end of the scale puts me at 6 cups of water. So I need roughly 6-9 cups of water per day. I'm going to say, I probably need the lower end of that number because I very rarely sweat and I don't exercise vigorously. The conversion from cups to ounces is 48-72 ounces.
I have a 34 ounce water bottle. I should, at minimum, drink a bottle and a half to get my RDA. To get the full 72 ounces I'd need to drink my water bottle twice.
(Reference: Understanding Nutrition, page 374)
What minerals does the human body need?
Calcium. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, followed by phosphorus. Calcium is needed for the bones, and a tiny bit is needed for the other parts of the human body, only about 1 percent (Understanding Nutrition, page 388). It's important to get enough Vitamin D so that one can absorb calcium properly. A vitamin D supplement can be obtained as a prescription from a doctor. An adult absorbs about 30% of the calcium consumed. Calcium can be obtained through drinking milk and eating dairy products, or through consuming other calcium rich foods, such as bread, almonds, bok choy, kale and oysters. It's important to keep an eye on calcium intake levels.
Phosphorus. Phosphorus helps calcium form the bones of the human body. It also is in all the cells of the body in both a buffering system and in DNA and RNA. It is very hard to become deficient in phosphorus.
Magnesium. Magnesium is another important mineral that is found mostly in the bones, but is also needed by the rest of the body for cellular functions. It's quite common for people to become deficient of this mineral. It can be obtained by eating nuts and leafy vegetables.
Sodium. Salt has a lot of important roles in body function. It helps prevent edema and dehydration by keeping water in check. It also helps maintain pH balance. It has many functions. It is in so many foods that it is very rare for a person to become sodium-deficient. It is more important to be aware of how much sodium is being consumed, and limit self to eating foods that contain a moderate to low amount of sodium. Too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.
Chloride. Chloride is needed by the body for balancing the electrolyte system and making acid in the stomach. It is easy to get enough in foods and deficiency is rare.
Potassium. Potassium is very important in cellular function and vital to keep the heart beating properly. Fresh food contains the highest quantities of this mineral. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is key to getting enough potassium. It's important to eat lots of potassium-rich foods and less of the sodium rich foods to avoid high blood pressure and heart disease. Too little potassium can cause kidney stones, among other undesirable problems.
Sulfate. Sulfate is needed by the body to make skin, hair and nails. It is easy to get enough sulfate with just a bit of protein in the diet.
Is Osteoporosis preventable?
There is evidence that osteoporosis is preventable by taking steps early in life to increase bone density. Some options include:
- Get 30 minutes of direct sunlight per week to enhance calcium absorption
- Do weight bearing exercise that stresses bones because that helps make them stronger
- Eat calcium rich foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt and tofu
- Don't smoke or drink
- Make sure children get lots of calcium rich foods and plenty of sunlight
Resource:
- https://abcnews.go.com/Health/WomensHealth/osteoporosis-women/story?id=12804127
Is Osteoporosis reversible?
Not according to Web MD. There are some options that slow the process way down. Mostly these involve getting vitamin D, adequate calcium, exercise and some drug therapies. With consistency, these treatments can slow bone loss way down so that the danger of bone breakage is very low.
According to University Health News, No, it isn't reversible, "osteoporosis is far easier to prevent than treat." The ability to reverse the course of this condition is mostly contingent on how bad the bone loss is when treatment begins.
Resources:
- https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/can-you-reverse-osteoporosis#1
- https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/bones-joints/can-osteoporosis-be-reversed-without-drugs/
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