# Does drinking lots of water counteract a diet high in salt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268 "2003-06-12T03:20:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![habs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@habs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/habs)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268/1 "2003-06-12T03:20:39Z")
I’m wondering if drinking lots of water a day can effectively counteract or cancel out the effects of a diet that is rather high in salt. I don’t really add tons of salt, per se, in my diet, but I do like to eat certain foods that contain a lot of salt, such as parmesan cheese and potato chips. Of course, I realize the side effects of having a diet high in salt, such as hypertension later on in life and other ailments. But damn it, sometimes I just crave salt, especially after working out or playing sports. Anyways, switching gears; on a normal day, I drink anywhere from a half a gallon of water to a gallon (if not more). I love to drink mostly water, and I religiously avoid all carbonated soft drinks, diuretics, and other unhealthy things like that. I know that drinking large amounts of water helps the body with getting rid of excess salt, etc. So … does all the water I drink a day counteract or negate the effects of the rather large amount of salt that I consume? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268/2 "2003-06-12T03:58:25Z")
I asked this question-and no, it doesn’t. In fact, you can go into water intoxication. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268/3 "2003-06-12T04:38:27Z")
I think it would be more accurate to say that the salty food you’re consuming is counteracting the negative effects of drinking too much water. “Water intoxication” is technically known as hyponatremia. Drinking too much water effectively reduces the sodium level in your bloodstream, which can produce a bunch of strange effects, including nausea, cramps, and confusion. The standard treatment for a mild case is to consume some salty stuff. The problem usually afflicts athletes, particularly long-distance runners. More info [here](http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/salt.html) and [here](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/36/1676_50497.htm). This would seem to imply that drinking lots of water should, indeed, offset the dangers (if there are any) of consuming too much salt, but I can’t find anything to confirm that hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268/4 "2003-06-12T04:46:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*This would seem to imply that drinking lots of water should, indeed, offset the dangers (if there are any) of consuming too much salt, but I can’t find anything to confirm that hypothesis. \*\* There are other electrolytes besides sodium. Too much water dilutes all of them. Potassium is particularly important to nerve and muscle function. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268/5 "2003-06-12T05:09:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*There are other electrolytes besides sodium. Too much water dilutes all of them. Potassium is particularly important to nerve and muscle function. \*\* True. Probably best to sprinkle some salt on a banana (yuk)! ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268/6 "2003-06-12T05:40:56Z")
Actually, water intoxication can be pretty serious - I’ve read a few case studies about young women in treatment for anorexia - patients are given extra privilages for weight gain so on weigh in day some girls will try to make up weight by consuming massive amounts of water. Hypokalemia results - in the particular case studies I read, all of the girls in question had grand-mal sezeiures and serious after-complications. Just eat less salt guy. Really. ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-lots-of-water-counteract-a-diet-high-in-salt/181268/7 "2003-06-12T13:46:43Z")
[The Salt Institute studies say](http://www.saltinstitute.org/52.html) that reducing salt doesn’t really have any long term benefits at all, so don’t be too quick to lay off the old tasty treat scene!