[Philmont]: Too much water?

Everyone who hikes at Philmont or attends PTC is told to drink water often;
we all know the term "clear and copious!" But I read an interesting article
in the London Times last week quoting an article in the British Medical
Journal by a Professor Timothy Noakes of the University of Cape Town, South
Africa.

Professor Noakes wrote that the advice that athletes should replace all the
liquids they loose through sweating while exercising, either by drinking as
they can tolerate or by drinking somewhere between one and two pints per
hour may be dangerous. His research notes that there have been 7 recorded
deaths and over 250 cases of hyponatraemic encephalopathy in athletes,
soldiers and hikers who were advised to drink as much as possible while
exercising. This is a potentially fatal condition caused by a severe lack of
salt in the blood due to excessive flushing of the system with water.

Here is a link for anyone interested.
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/327/7407/113

Chris Summers

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Received on Mon Aug 25 11:25:10 2003