Too much of a good thing?: The danger of water intoxication in endurance sports

[摘要] The deaths of four runners in the 2005 Great North Run alerted the public to the potential dangers of distance running. In the immediate aftermath, the Sports Minister recommended that runners be advised to ‘drink more water’.1 These comments would appear to be extremely sensible, and it is likely that most people seeking advice prior to participating in such an event would be encouraged to ‘drink plenty of fluid’. It is therefore a seeming paradox that the medical director for the 2005 New York City marathon went to extraordinary lengths to advise participants to limit their fluid intake to no more than 750 ml per hour.2 The dangers of water intoxication are well known among sports physicians, and are starting to become recognised by ultra-endurance athletes (competing in ultra-marathons or Ironman-distance triathlons), even if there is doubt in some lay minds about the cause. However, the message does not appear to be strong enough to re-educate a public that is given out-dated advice in magazines, and is bombarded with advertising from manufacturers of sports drinks, all stressing the importance of avoiding dehydration.

[学科分类] 卫生学