Yesterday afternoon, I was browsing through several fitness-related websites about protein drinks: whether one should be obliged of drinking it during post-workouts or not. Then, I happened to see a comment regarding excessive amount of drinking water.

It all started when the article writer began mentioning about overindulging protein shake which can actually damage your kidneys and liver. It’s a giveaway, though. The amount of protein should be taken depending on your weight and age. Too much of it can stress your kidneys and liver as they cleanse it off, and other complications may arise as well. So, there’s this one reader -assuming he read the article since he posted a comment- left a snippet of this so-called “water intoxication” or medical people may call it “hyponatremia”. This triggered me to delve into it even more.

You see, nowadays, I rarely research a “brought-up” subject since I’ve noticed that it consumes more than an hour or so of my time. And sometimes, I would end up having no viable and credible information gathered. This time, however, gave me enough information to share this uncommon complication to you.

But anyway -you may call me somewhat ignorant- water intoxication does exist. And yes, I know “too much is bad”, but I’ve never heard of this complication in my entire life. In such a time as this, drinking water is important. Hot, humid and dense temperature blanketing our city almost everyday gives us the initiative to drink as much as we can to avoid dehydration. Hyponatremia happens when a person drinks too much water in a short period of time. However, this usually happens to marathoners and infants and ecstasy takers. Rare enough, one can have this serious complication after being dared to drink liters of water in minutes.

A woman of 3 kids named Jennifer Strange, strangely died after joining a contest held by a radio company in California. The contest was called “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” wherein one should consume bottles of water in a given time, and whoever consumes water without using the restroom will simply win a Nintendo Wii! Obviously, Ms. Strange won the contest. But as she was driving her way home having the Wii with her, a very excruciating headache struck her unexpectedly. Strange arrived safely, though, she went straight to her room and rested. Moments after, they found her lifeless in her bedroom leaving everyone surprised. Soon enough, the autopsy released the results and diagnosed her with acute water intoxication.

The entire story is posted in MSNBC and CBS. Read both links to know more about the events after the tragic incident of Jennifer Strange.

Remember that water is also a poison if taken without moderation.