From controlling body temperature and flushing out toxins, adequate hydration plays a vital role in our general health and well-being, water is a life essential. However, while dehydration garners significant attention, overhydration, or drinking excessive amounts of water, is a condition that can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences.

Although it may sound bizarre since drinking water is said to be the solution for most health related problems it is important to recognize how much water is considered "too much" or the risks involved with being overhydrated can maintain a healthy balance.

What Is Water Intoxication?

Water intoxication, also termed hyperhydration, water poisoning or water toxemia, develops when an individual drinks much more water than the kidney can excrete. The main function of the kidneys in the human body is the processing and excretion of excess water. However, the human kidneys can process only up to 0.8 to 1.0 liters of water at a time. Drinking an amount that exceeds this may overwhelm the kidneys and put the electrolyte balance out of sync in the human body.

Electrolytes, especially sodium, are essential in maintaining fluid balance within and outside cells. Hyponatremia is the condition when sodium levels fall below 135 mmol/L, resulting from excessive water intake. This causes water to shift into cells, swelling them. In the brain, this can cause severe complications, including coma or even death.

Symptoms of Water Intoxication

The symptoms of water intoxication vary from mild to severe. Early symptoms are often similar to dehydration, which makes self-diagnosis challenging. Common symptoms include:

• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Muscle cramps or weakness
• Fatigue or drowsiness
• Confusion and disorientation

In more serious cases, water intoxication can cause seizures, loss of consciousness, or swelling in the brain. These complications can be fatal if left untreated.

A notable case occurred in 2007 when a woman participating in a water-drinking contest tragically died after consuming nearly two gallons of water in under two hours. More recently, actress Brooke Shields experienced a grand mal seizure attributed to excessive water consumption.

Causes of Water Intoxication

Water intoxication is rare, but certain scenarios can increase the risk:

1. Sporting Events and Endurance Training

These endurance athletes are prone to water intoxication, especially if they drink large amounts of water without replacing lost electrolytes. Hyponatremia usually happens during long races or marathons as individuals mistake fatigue and muscle cramps for dehydration and continue drinking water in excess.

2. Military Training

Overhydration among military personnel is usually due to severe physical activity in extreme environmental conditions. The total number of hyponatremia cases documented from 2007 through 2022 for the active duty in the United States exceeds 1,600, with a note to this problem on exertion-related overhydration.

3. Mental Health Conditions

Compulsive water drinking, known as psychogenic polydipsia, is linked with some mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and psychosis. People with these conditions tend to drink too much water, causing a hazardous electrolyte imbalance.

4. Drug Abuse

Drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy) raise the body temperature and make people thirsty, and at times, some people tend to drink excess water at events like music festivals. MDMA also leads to urine retention, thus exacerbating the dangers of water intoxication.

How Much Water Is Too Much?

The exact amount of water that causes intoxication varies from one person to another. However, drinking more than 1 liter of water per hour for several hours raises the risk. For healthy individuals, the risk of overhydration is low unless taking part in extreme physical activity or ignoring thirst cues.

Certain medical conditions, such as kidney or liver disorders, can impair the body's ability to process fluids, and even moderate water intake may be harmful. Similarly, certain medications, such as diuretics and antipsychotics, can affect the perception of thirst or fluid regulation.

How Much Water Is Enough?

The widely touted recommendation of eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day has little basis in fact. According to the National Academy of Medicine, a daily total fluid intake is about 15 cups (3.7 liters) for males and 11 cups (2.7 liters) for females, from beverage sources and from food. Usually, about 20 percent of daily hydration comes from foods such as fruits and vegetables.

A better rule of thumb is to listen to your body and drink water based on thirst. Use the color of your urine as an indicator:

• Light yellow urine indicates proper hydration.
• Dark yellow urine may indicate dehydration.

Older adults, whose thirst mechanisms may decline with age, should be proactive about maintaining hydration, especially during illness or hot weather.

Water Intoxication vs. Dehydration

The symptoms of water intoxication—such as headaches, fatigue, and muscle weakness—are similar to those of dehydration. If you are unsure which condition you are experiencing, seek medical attention immediately rather than self-treating with more water.

Preventing Water Intoxication

To avoid the dangers of overhydration:

• Drink water gradually throughout the day rather than consuming large amounts at once.
• Replace lost electrolytes post high-intensity exercise or heavy sweating.
• Consider using sports drinks or salty snacks to help replenish sodium.
• Keep track of fluid consumption during long-duration activities, and do not consume more water than the body is losing in terms of electrolytes.
• If on medications or have specific medical conditions, check with your doctor regarding the safety of drinking water.

For signs of severe water intoxication-including confusion, drowsiness, seizures, and loss of consciousness-customer is advised to seek medical assistance immediately. In the meanwhile, a salty snack would help to temporarily correct low sodium levels.

Hydration is important to health, but overhydration can be a serious risk; the secret is in finding a balance. Drink enough water to satisfy your body, but not so much that it overwhelms your system. Remember, water is life, but moderation keeps it that way.

Hyponatremia (low sodium level in the blood). National Kidney Foundation. 2023.

Water Toxicity. NIH. 2023

Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia: 2017 Update. Front Med (Lausanne). 2017

Update: Exertional Hyponatremia Among Active Component Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2007–2022

Mental health issues among doctors remain a serious but rarely discussed concern within the medical community, said Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, popularly known on social media as the LiverDoc.

In an exclusive interaction with HealthandMe, the noted hepatologist highlighted the rising cases of burnout, depression, and suicide among healthcare professionals and the urgent need to address them.

He stated that doctors are among the major communities affected by mental health disorders, although the topic is often ignored within the profession.

“We have had very senior doctors die by suicide because of burnout,” he said, citing incidents involving highly successful doctors recently reported from parts of India, including Kerala.

Mental Health Of Doctors Impacts Patient Care

Liver Doc stressed that addressing doctors’ mental health is as important as treating patients’ mental health.

“A doctor who has good mental health will be a much better ally for the patient when it comes to treatment,” he said.

He also urged the medical community and regulatory authorities to introduce more interventions and support systems to prevent burnout and mental health disorders among doctors.

According to him, the emotional burden of treating critically ill patients and witnessing deaths regularly can deeply affect healthcare professionals.

“It’s depressing to treat patients and see them die. It’s depressing to see another human die,” he said.

The expert noted that doctors should find ways to openly discuss and process emotional stress and mental health struggles.

New Book On Burnout And Emotional Stress

Dr. Philips also addressed the issue in his recently released book, The Liver Doctor: Stories of Love, Loss and Regeneration.

He told HealthandMe that he has “very thoroughly and in very raw format addressed in the book” the mental health disorders affecting doctors, as it directly impacts patient care.

“Like every other doctor, I have also gone through that, and it's depressing to treat patients and see them die. I have this book to channelize that, and I feel less burdened when I do that, but other doctors also should find ways to do this. So this book also tells doctors to be more open about their mental health,” he said.

Deep Burnout Among Doctors

Doctors in teaching hospitals often endure long, unregulated shifts with little time for rest, especially during residency. Such exhausting work conditions not only increase the risk of medical errors but also significantly contribute to burnout, emotional exhaustion, and mental health problems among young doctors.

As per a recent nationwide survey on doctors’ mental health and morale, nine in ten doctors said they would not want their children to become physicians.

Also read: Global Mental Disorders Double In 33 Years, Affecting 1.2 Billion People: Study

The study, conducted by the Debabrata Mitalee Auro Foundation, surveyed 1,208 doctors across metropolitan cities and smaller towns over six months and found deep levels of burnout, fear of violence, and rising medico-legal anxiety among medical professionals.

Parliamentary Panel Flags Excessive Duty Hours

Further, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare also raised concerns over “excessive continuous duty hours” for junior and senior resident doctors in April.

In its latest report, the panel warned that fatigue-driven errors and burnout could compromise care.

The Panel recommended that the government introduce and strictly enforce a formal “Clinical Duty Hours Regulation” policy. This would mandate fixed rest periods and monitored duty rosters, with oversight mechanisms to prevent violations.

India’s cell and gene therapy ecosystem is beginning to attract a different kind of attention that is driven not just by healthcare demand, but by proprietary science and platform-led innovation.

For investors, however, the larger story may not be the funding round itself. It may be the problem the company is trying to solve.

CAR-T therapies have transformed outcomes for several difficult-to-treat blood cancers globally. But despite strong initial responses, relapse remains one of the field’s biggest limitations. One reason is antigen escape, which means cancer cells can change the markers that therapies use to identify them, making them harder to detect over time.

In an analysis of 4,129 CAR-T treated patients, relapse remained a substantial issue after single-target therapy, with 42.1% of relapses associated with loss of the CD19 target itself. The finding points to a larger issue: precision may not be enough if therapies lose visibility over time.

The response increasingly appears to be a move toward multi-target and more durable platforms. A bispecific CAR-T platform designed to recognize more than one tumor marker, to reduce relapse is crucial.

The science itself is becoming increasingly platform-oriented. Beyond broader targeting, recent work explored why immune cells themselves lose effectiveness over time and identified pathways associated with stronger persistence and memory. While still early, the broader implication is that future therapies may need to be designed not only to attack disease, but also to remain active longer.

For India, that creates a larger opportunity. Historically, advanced therapies such as CAR-T have remained expensive and heavily dependent on technologies developed elsewhere. The aim is to significantly reduce treatment costs while building indigenous capabilities across design and manufacturing.

The shift matters because biotech investing is increasingly moving beyond services and generics toward intellectual property and platform science. The transition from bedside observations to translational platforms may be where the next phase of healthcare innovation and investment gets built.

Colon cancer, medically known as colorectal cancer, was historically typical for people aged 50 or older. However, in recent years, the cancer that forms in the tissues of the large intestine has been increasing in prevalence in young adults. As many as one in five colorectal cancer patients today falls into this younger age group.

Now, a study published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology shows that marathons, which are one of the most celebrated physical activities, may be increasing the risk of the disease.

What Did The Study Find?

The team at Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Virginia, US, initiated the study after observing multiple “ultramarathoners” present to their cancer center with advanced colorectal cancer.

To probe the link, they recruited 100 runners to undergo colonoscopies — the gold standard for screening and preventing colorectal cancer. The team then looked at runners ages 35 to 50, who had either completed at least five marathons or two ultramarathons (any runs of 50 kilometers or more).

Presenting the findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, Dr. Timothy Cannon, an oncologist at the Institute, stated that

• Nearly 50 per cent of the participants in the study had polyps, which can become cancerous,
• 15 per cent had advanced adenomas (noncancerous tumor) which are likely to become cancerous.

Also read:Colorectal Cancer: UK Surgeon Warns Of 5 Silent Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Almost always, colon cancers start as small growths called polyps or precancerous lesions on the inner lining of the colon or rectum.

Moreover, the study found that the rate of advanced adenomas nearly tripled among the marathon runners, compared to the general population, at 4.5 -6 per cent.

How Does Ultra-running Spike Chance Of Developing Colon Cancer?

In general, running and other forms of exercise are known to reduce the risk of developing colon and other cancers. At the same time, exercise-induced gastrointestinal injury is also believed to be associated with reduced blood flow to the intestines during long-distance running.

Notably, to date there is no evidence that definitively shows running causes polyps.

The new study presents a correlation — an increasing relationship between long-distance running and advanced adenomas. It does not prove that running directly causes the adenomas.

Read More: Europe Sees Record Surge In Gonorrhea, Syphilis Cases In Over A Decade, Says ECDC

The new results suggest that “intensive long-distance running is a risk factor for advanced adenomas of the colon", said Dr. Timothy, in the paper. The team also called for "refining screening strategies" for marathon runners.

It is because runners put their bodies through a lot, which can raise the risk of chronic inflammation, enabling cancerous cells to grow.

Their high-caloric foods for immediate energy can slow down digestion and impact your overall colon health.

What is Colorectal Cancer

The American Cancer Society notes that colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. Colorectal cancer impacts around 1.9 million people every year, noted the World Health Organization (WHO) as per its 2022 data.

It is a disease of the large bowel and a type of cancer that originates from the rectum or colon. A person's colon, cecum, rectum, and anus make up the large intestine.

According to experts, if you are above 45 years of age or have high-risk factors, you need to take the initiative to be screened, as the symptoms appear late, impacting treatment outcomes.

The common red flags for colorectal cancer include:

• rectal bleeding,
• persistent abdominal discomfort,
• pain,
• a noticeable change in bowel habits.