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  • MONDAY APRIL 18 2005 11:42 PM

It's Not Just Cigarettes and Cocaine Anymore — Even Water's Bad For You

Submitted by ElizaGirl

Edited by Christopher

Every diet plan I have ever read about or feebly attempted to follow has had one theme in common (well, two, if you count the "don't eat so much, dumbass"wink: they all endorse and recommend upping your water intake, claiming your skin will be clearer, your organs will function better, and some even claim that water "acts as a fat flush.”

Aside from teenaged girls, who is more health and body-conscious than athletes? And with it being widely believed that athletes, runners especially, are susceptible to dehydration, and with the number of Gatorade commercials we see, it's no surprise that many athletes drink a lot of fluid. What may be surprising is that it's often too much, as Cynthia Lucero found out in 2002, when a runner collapsed after a race and died.

Now, in the days remaining before the Boston Marathon, the New England Journal of Medicine has released a study about the condition that killed Lucero, called Hyponatremia, to warn athletes that, even in the case of something as fundamentally necessary and life-giving as water, there is such thing as too much, and a little moderation is in order.

So how do you know if you're drinking too much?

The distinguishing factor seems to be weight. You shouldn't gain weight while running a marathon. Some suggest athletes weigh in before, write down that number and then weigh again after the marathon. Then, those whose weight increases could hopefully be treated before serious problems develop.

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desidia

desidia

Reunion
September 2002

APR 18, 2005 11:49 PM

i thought cocaine was good for you...

s5

s5

STAFF

San Francisco, CA

APR 18, 2005 11:52 PM

this article is a bit confused. yes, athletes drink a lot of fluid, but what kind of fluid they drink is what's important.

you mention gatorade ads. there's a reason for why you see so many ads for it, targeted specifically at athletes and the physically active: gatorade contains electrolytes, including sodium and potassium.

so, the condition you linked to, hyponatremia, means your level of electrolytes is too low.

this doesn't mean "water is bad for you", it means that your body requires a specific balance of water and electrolytes, and products like gatorade are specifically designed to keep that balance in check.

Amitabha

Amitabha

Black Rock City, NV
July 2003

APR 18, 2005 11:54 PM

s5 said:
this article is a bit confused. yes, athletes drink a lot of fluid, but what kind of fluid they drink is what's important.

you mention gatorade ads. there's a reason for why you see so many ads for it, targeted specifically at athletes and the physically active: gatorade contains electrolytes, including sodium and potassium.

so, the condition you linked to, hyponatremia, means your level of electrolytes is too low.

this doesn't mean "water is bad for you", it means that your body requires a specific balance of water and electrolytes, and products like gatorade are specifically designed to keep that balance in check.




I'm confused. did I just see you promoting gatoraid?

Gatoraid isn't even vegan. and they test on animals, you poser.

ElizaGirl

ElizaGirl

Yemen
August 2004

APR 18, 2005 11:59 PM

"Runners who drank sports drinks, which contain very little salt, were not less likely to develop hyponatremia."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050414/ap_on_he_me/fit_athletes_water_4

but then I saw other sites recommending Gatorade et al over water because they DO contain salt--and one site recommended pretzels. Weird.

I just report. biggrin

The good news is, unless I get hyponatremia walking to my car, I'm safe. *sigh*

And yeah, I know water isn't bad for you, that was intended to be tongue in cheek--but it's good to note that moderation's a good idea with pretty much everything, no?

s5

s5

STAFF

San Francisco, CA

APR 18, 2005 11:59 PM

Amitabha said:
I'm confused. did I just see you promoting gatoraid?

Gatoraid isn't even vegan. and they test on animals, you poser.



you lie.

if forgot to add "or if you're an unwashed hippy like Amitabha, you can find other products at the health food co-op."

Knives

Knives

Beverly Hills, CA
April 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:01 AM

actually, thats sounds like she had too little water. hence the hypo.

Amitabha

Amitabha

Black Rock City, NV
July 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:07 AM

s5 said:

Amitabha said:
I'm confused. did I just see you promoting gatoraid?

Gatoraid isn't even vegan. and they test on animals, you poser.



you lie.

if forgot to add "or if you're an unwashed hippy like Amitabha, you can find other products at the health food co-op."



Wrong. Gatoraid is owned by Quaker Oats, who is owned by Pepsico, who does in house animal testing.

Therefore Gatoraid is made of pigfat, and I am more vegan than you.

Knives

Knives

Beverly Hills, CA
April 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:07 AM

s5 said:
this article is a bit confused. yes, athletes drink a lot of fluid, but what kind of fluid they drink is what's important.

you mention gatorade ads. there's a reason for why you see so many ads for it, targeted specifically at athletes and the physically active: gatorade contains electrolytes, including sodium and potassium.

so, the condition you linked to, hyponatremia, means your level of electrolytes is too low.

this doesn't mean "water is bad for you", it means that your body requires a specific balance of water and electrolytes, and products like gatorade are specifically designed to keep that balance in check.



thats right. thats where the whole hypo-osmolar fluids come into play. thats is, the low amount of osomotic fluids that your taking in. and thats could be from either little water intake or drinking to much alcohol which in turn leaves you dehydrated, or drinking too much of something that might have alot of salt content. all that sodium is bad. when people get really old they sometimes lose their sensation of thirst and can dehydrate without even being aware of it.

MisterGraves

MisterGraves

Portland, OR
November 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:24 AM

Amitabha said:

s5 said:

Amitabha said:
I'm confused. did I just see you promoting gatoraid?

Gatoraid isn't even vegan. and they test on animals, you poser.



you lie.

if forgot to add "or if you're an unwashed hippy like Amitabha, you can find other products at the health food co-op."



Wrong. Gatoraid is owned by Quaker Oats, who is owned by Pepsico, who does in house animal testing.

Therefore Gatoraid is made of pigfat, and I am more vegan than you.




Wrong. Gatoraid is completely sin-free. And they have a beautiful blog.



[Edited on Apr 19, 2005 by xer0yne]

Amitabha

Amitabha

Black Rock City, NV
July 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:25 AM

xer0yne said:

Amitabha said:

s5 said:

Amitabha said:
I'm confused. did I just see you promoting gatoraid?

Gatoraid isn't even vegan. and they test on animals, you poser.



you lie.

if forgot to add "or if you're an unwashed hippy like Amitabha, you can find other products at the health food co-op."



Wrong. Gatoraid is owned by Quaker Oats, who is owned by Pepsico, who does in house animal testing.

Therefore Gatoraid is made of pigfat, and I am more vegan than you.




Wrong. Gatoraid is completely sin-free. And they have a beautiful website.

[Edited on Apr 19, 2005 12:24AM]





surreal surreal surreal surreal

Jeff_Fries

Jeff_Fries

Humptulips, WA
September 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:28 AM

Amitabha said:

xer0yne said:
Wrong. Gatoraid is completely sin-free. And they have a beautiful website.





surreal surreal surreal surreal


Its called a blog whatever

Amitabha

Amitabha

Black Rock City, NV
July 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:30 AM

Jeff_Fries said:

Amitabha said:

xer0yne said:
Wrong. Gatoraid is completely sin-free. And they have a beautiful website.





surreal surreal surreal surreal


Its called a blog whatever




it reminds me of timecube.

same writing style.

Jeff_Fries

Jeff_Fries

Humptulips, WA
September 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:33 AM

Amitabha said:
it reminds me of timecube.

same writing style.


There was one patient who shuffled down the hall like the "Tim Conway" character. There was another a very tall strong individual who approached from behind and tapped on the shoulder would turn and strike out with his fist. The orderly would "shadow box" him to exhaustion.

The orderly then got the idea of guiding the senile man who "shuffled" behind the much larger man. He then tapped the larger man on the shoulder at which point he turned and punched the other patient. The orderly caught him before he hit the floor.

A few weeks later an orderly informed me that this had happened again only this time the brutal orderly was not behind the man and he fell, struck his head on the corner of the wall and was killed. When I asked him what became of any investigation he said they simply determined that one senile patient had hit the other senile patient who had fallen and was killed. End of story.



[Edited on Apr 19, 2005 by Jeff_Fries]

dirtyground

dirtyground

Chicago, IL
August 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:34 AM

cocaine and cigarettes AT THE SAME TIME while running a marathon.

naja_haje

naja_haje

Portland, OR
March 2003

APR 19, 2005 12:35 AM

Wow. I don't even know where to begin with that.

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