Drink water, but not in excess, doctors warn

Overconsumption can lead to drop in sodium levels in blood potentially resulting in severe health issues

- RISHITA KHANNA @Bengaluru

DRINK plenty of water! This advice is often considered a golden rule for good health, but doctors caution that over-hydration can be dangerous and deadly.

Drinking too much water can cause hyponatremia—a condition where sodium levels in the blood drop to dangerously low levels, potentially leading to severe health issues.

Recently, a 40-year-old woman from Hyderabad suffered seizures and lost consciousness after drinking an excessive amount of water in the morning. She was told that it would help flush out toxins, but the result was that she had to spend four days in the ICU, battling complications from water intoxication.

Experts warn that consuming 1.5 liters of water or more per hour can overwhelm the kidneys and upset the body's electrolyte balance and that excessive water is unnecessary for detoxification.