Hypernatermia= Death by water overdose

The New York Times came out with a piece on the dangers of drinking too much water. The first half is scare tactics and cross thought idealism until it gets to quotes from Dr. Tim Noakes who pretty much says, prove it. Dr Noakes is a legend in the running community. If you think The Tri Training bible is big try The Lore of Running by Noakes coming in at 944 pages and its as tall as it is wide..

The condition of Hyponatremia is an excess of water in the system, which is also depleted of electrolytes and specifically sodium. The over-abundance of water causes a failure in the bodies organs which can lead to death. It is further compounded by having symptoms similar to dehydration and when medical personnel treat a hyponatremia patient they use IV saline drips which continue to oversaturate.

This condition by the way has only been witnessed in endurance athletes and only in women who are slight of build or below normal body proportions and participate in events longer than 3.5 hours. Because runners and triathletes dehydrate themselves in vigorous exercise they reach for water as replenishment and 'neglect' sport drinks which scientists lead to Hyponatremia.

I think this NY Times piece is a joke, it doesn't even name Hyponatermia until half way through, but it is a good object lesson to replenish your electrolytes. Here is a better read.