http://www.wisegeek.com/can-drinking-too-much-water-be-unhealthy-or-even-dangerous.htm
In the Understanding Motivation and Emotion textbook, on page 86 there is a discussion about the dangers of drinking flavored water and how drinking too much water can be downright dangerous. Specifically, the book says, "When factors such as a sweet taste offer a high incentive value for drinking, human beings drink excessively and sometimes consume dangerously high amounts ... Both alcohol and caffeine (introduce biological processes) that motivate people to drink in excess."
I have to admit, I was very surprised by this finding. I did not think that mere flavoring in water could cause people to drink dangerous levels of water. The book also mentions that the "Drink 8 glasses of water per day" rule has absolutely no scientific basis. Of course most of us know about the dangers involved with alcohol, and the nutritional deficiencies that can arise from excessive amounts of alcohol, but I think most people are not aware that drinking too much water can kill you. When I was little I actually remember hearing about a girl who drank too much water and died because of it, but my mother assured me that she must have drank an extremely excessive amount for it to be a problem. I do not think the amount need be so excessive to prove fatal.
This article mentioned that the 6-8 glasses of water per day probably does not do any harm because it still falls within the normal range, but it mentions that sometimes dieters and athletes try to get an "extra edge" by drinking more. One of the major problems is that "too much water can quickly deplete electrolytes like sodium compounds" and "(This sodium depletion) can rupture cells" either from the inside or outside of the cells. The symptoms arise quickly.
In hindsight, perhaps I should not be too surprised that I did not know this information. I have not yet taken Personal Wellness or been active in any sports programs. This may be common knowledge among certain groups, but I for one did not know any of this. I had assumed that the thirst satiety response cycle would be exactly the same for both flavored and regular water.
Another question arose in my mind as I read about this problem among athletes. If drinking dangerous amounts of water can sometimes give an athlete an edge, it is probable that some people will continue to partake in excessive drinking even after learning about the dangers. In some ways this directly relates to the debate over steroid use. What motivates athletes to use steroids when some of the side effects can be very serious?
I think it is important to note that we must never allow ourselves to become too comfortable with anything that could be dangerous. There is probably not a day in our lives when we have gone without water. We often think of it as completely harmless, but in reality in sufficient quantities there are a great many things that can kill a person. I think there is also a desensitization problem with dangerous machinery. I used to do occasionally work on projects in woodworking and had a couple close calls, which I think I can attribute to my lack of attention because after so many uneventful encounters with the dangerous machinery my fear response seemed to decline substantially.
While the problem of drinking too much water is by no means an epidemic, I think it is a potential problem we need to be aware of, especially as energy drinks and flavored water drinks are becoming more common. There are serious dangers to even moderate amounts of certain energy drinks.
Another related topic I wanted to briefly bring up here is the food sold in fast food restaurants, the cigarettes sold in stores, and the drugs (such as caffeine) put in energy drinks. I am curious as to what others think regarding possible regulation for fast food restaurants, cigarette companies, and energy drink companies. If some of their products are found to be extremely harmful and found to contain addictive ingredients that encourage addiction and excess, should the public be simply warned through information campaigns or should the government set regulations that prevent certain unsafe products from being sold? One might argue that a black market of sorts would arise and people would just have to find ways around the regulations, but do we have a moral obligation to take greater action against these problems? There is a great deal more about the fast food restaurants and smoking companies using that could be said in this discussion, but I suppose that would be best left for another time.
The main reason why I believe this discussion is relevant and applicable to our class is because these chemicals and ingredients in these products directly influence the behavior of consumers and sometimes motivate them to do things against their best interests. I believe people are generally smart enough to make decisions on their own and excessive regulations can become ridiculous, but it is my opinion that a few extra standards may need to be implemented regarding these products.
This is just a small excerpt from the main article I hyperlinked in case anyone would like to read the conclusion of the article without going to the hyperlink...
Generally too much water is defined as water consumed above what the kidneys can process in an hour. Extremely healthy kidneys would be able to process about 30 ounces of water in an hour. A person with kidney problems or with only one kidney should drink much less, as per doctor's instructions.
The person with healthy kidneys could develop water intoxication by drinking about 2 to 3 times what the kidneys can process. For a person with kidney problems or with one kidney, too much water might be defined as just an ounce or two over the recommended amounts.
For people with healthy kidneys it should be perfectly safe to drink two cups of water an hour, and for the dieter, even one cup an hour will fulfill requirements for getting plenty of water. However, drinking too much water in rapid succession can prove fatal and should definitely be avoided.
This article definitely caught my attention. I too notice the comment in the text however did not research it further. As an active person my self I drink a fair amount of water a day but definitely not in excess. I guess the idea of drinking to much water simply goes back to the classic idea that to much of anything is a bad thing! I though the conclusion to this article was very informative and stated out what an appropriate amount of water is vs an excessive amount. I also think in addition to drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day we don't realize how much water in already in some of the food we eat which could contribute to people having an excess of water in their system. As humans we need water. Caffeine and other drugs that we consume we don't think of them as something that is vital for survival like water. Therefore, this could lead to the misconception of its value and why people are not as apt to demonstrate control over their intake. My idea of flavored water is a way in which people that do not like the taste of water can still get the nutrients needed;however, people with addictive personalities and other characteristics i can see how the consumption of these flavored more enjoyable things can be a problem.
First, I found this interesting because I am currently in a basic nutrition class and we learned that women need approx. 9 cups of FLUID and day and men, 13. This does not necessarily mean water, but just any fluid that does not contain alcohol or caffeine. Therefore, I would assume that not many people would exceed this amount in a day to become excessive.
I do agree that this can become addictive to the right personality, especially because this post was under the dieting category. I understand what it is like to have an addictive personality, especially when it comes to dieting, and I know that things such as flavored water are very enticing because they contain few calories (some of them) and still give the satisfaction that comes from the sugary taste. This could be related to the addiction to drugs and alcohol because your mind gets used to this sort of feeling and you start to seek out new outlets to gain access to it. I know for me that I use things like flavored water as a way to satiate my hunger and cravings. Is this necessarily smart? Probably not, but it works when you have a craving and you have awhile until the next meal.
As for the discussion of regulating fast food restaurants and cigarettes, I don't know how this could be accomplished. I do not think that simply outlawing them would work, however it is possible that putting high taxes or increasing prices could help to extrinsically de-motivate people to engage in these dangerous activities. The simple fact is that this move would require a lot of government support and we are talking about huge, powerful corporations here, the health of the population is not necessarily their first concern. I would say the best thing to do would be to increase consumer's knowledge of the other possible choices they have and to increase their ideas of the benefits of not eating fast food or smoking. For instance, telling them how to make simply meals at home that would save them money and calories over fast food. I really wouldn't know how to go about doing this for cigarettes?? But that a whole different story of actual physical dependency, I guess a good way would be to emphasize really good and easy ways to quit. In both cases, I would assume that most people do not want to be over weight and unhealthy from fast food and they do not want to get lung cancer from smoking. To change their perceptions we would just need to change their ideas about other available options and decrease the idea that sometimes these dangerous activities are the only option.
I chose to read this article because it caught my attention because I always drink flavored water. Berry Propel, I buy it by the bulk because I drink it so often. This is because I absolutely hate the taste of water, I hate it. It's gross to me. Even when I'm working out and work up a huge thirst and will drink just about anything, water is really gross to me, ESPECIALLY if it is tap water or out of nasty drinking fountain that everybody else drinks out of...SICK. That grosses me out. I will very rarely ever drink out of drinking fountain. I drink flavored water every single day, I don't think I am addicted to it, I just can't stand regular water, and drinking pop or coffee or juice sits in my stomach and makes me feel too full or gives me a caffeine high or sugar high, which I also don't want. I can see why people would chose flavored water as a dietary choice. It tastes good without the calories and it may satisfy a craving for something sweet or sugary without giving them all the extra calories. I can see people taking advantage of that, not sure if I think it would put that person in danger of "overdosing" on water though.
I actually found this article that suggests the liver does an immense amount of work when you drink a lot of water in a short time period—see the article below. They also said the amount of dehydration for every person is different, so you should check you pee. – everybody knows what it looks like when you’re dehydrated (yuck!). I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel kind of a personal accomplishment when I see clear pee. Haha.
http://www.drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.html
According to Reeve (2009) water does not have a taste so it is purely a replenishing act, instead of getting some kind of pleasure from drinking water. I do agree with what Reeve stated, but I also don’t see anyone dying from loving the taste of the flavored waters. Personally, I think water is fine the way it is and couldn’t imagine anyone WANTING a fake flavor added. I know Reeve (2009) is speaking biologically, but I feel as if this wouldn’t be an issue for a high majority of the population—even in the future. Of course we can directly relate this to our countries food consumption and the obesity going on because people get pleasure from eating food, but I don’t see it happening with water.. it’s a good thought though!
I found this article to be very interesting! I rarely ever think about drinking too much water as being a bad thing. I remember in high school, our cross country coaches really enforcing the importance of being very hydrated before a race. They encouraged us to bring water bottles along with us all day and whenever we saw them would ask us if we were drinking water. Not knowing the possibility of my body not being able to process all of that water is scary and was never talked about. We never really think about too much water being a bad thing since it is so essential for our survival, but now I know!