# Eating salt competitively **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 11, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376 "2010-09-11T03:19:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SubcomandanteMarcos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SubcomandanteMarcos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SubcomandanteMarcos)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376/61 "2011-02-10T21:57:58Z")
> [@enigmatic](#): > > They might be also have been fine, but would have died if they had pulled the stupid stunt somewhere where they didn’t have enough access to drinking water. They might also not make the link when their kidneys crap out 15 years later partially as a result of the damage. > > The factors associated are just so variable, “the other kid’s are doing it so I’ll be fine” is just not the sort of logic you can apply to most types of poisoning. I’m certainly not trying to go eat a bowl of salt, just trying to understand the actual, not theoretical, risk of doing something like that. The number of YouTube videos involving salt eating/ salt water chugging is quite significant. Check out the ones I posted and some of the recommended/ related ones and see what you think. Also, what are the odds of a one time thing like that truly damaging ones kidneys that badly? I mean it’s obviously quite variable, but do you think that all of these YouTube posters ought to get their kidneys checked out? Would the damage be reversible? I assume that it wouldn’t be. ---
**Author:** ![enigmatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@enigmatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigmatic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376/62 "2011-02-10T23:01:24Z")
On the specific stuff I’m really not sure, I had lectures that covered salt toxicity briefly about a decade ago (and it’s a bitch to search for info on because of the prevalence of various salts and saline in medicine), in particular I’m speculating wildly about the possibility of kidney damage based on other stuff that stresses the kidneys (like the water drinking stupidity mentioned earlier in the thread). But even if someone who is a bit more up to date can chime in they are probably not going to give you particularly specific info, both because of the stuff I mentioned earlier about the wild variability of the critical factors, but also because human toxicology data tends to be based on a tiny handful of random incidents. All I’m saying is that I’d be really wary about entering any salt eating competitions personally. ---
**Author:** ![101flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/5e9695/32.png) [@101flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/101flyboy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376/63 "2011-02-12T06:22:53Z")
This thread makes me understand why I gave up chips and pretzels. ---
**Author:** ![SubcomandanteMarcos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SubcomandanteMarcos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SubcomandanteMarcos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376/64 "2011-04-05T18:36:05Z")
quite sad/ upsetting story: > **[U-Va. fraternity pledge hospitalized after soy-sauce dare](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/12/AR2011031206201.html?wprss=rss_education)** > > A University of Virginia freshman was hospitalized this month after chugging a bottle of soy sauce at the Zeta Psi fraternity house, according to court documents. Was immediately reminded of this thread. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376/65 "2011-04-05T18:59:24Z")
> [@SubcomandanteMarcos](#): > > quite sad/ upsetting story: > [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/12/AR2011031206201.html?wprss=rss\_education](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/12/AR2011031206201.html?wprss=rss_education) > > Was immediately reminded of this thread. Any thoughts? Not that sad or upsetting, it sounds like he survived without permanent neurological deficits. Pretty stupid behavior though. I’m glad he lived, and glad the story shines a light on abysmally ignorant, dangerous adolescent male behavior. I saw a patient not long ago with severe hyponatremia (low salt) due to multiple disease processes, including miliary tuberculosis. He died shortly thereafter, despite lots of aggressive interventions. Sodium levels. Don’t mess with them. ---
**Author:** ![SubcomandanteMarcos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SubcomandanteMarcos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SubcomandanteMarcos)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376/66 "2011-04-06T02:46:34Z")
I suppose you’re right-- it’s not particularly sad, maybe just upsetting because it was done in such careless ignorance and almost ended so terribly. In light of our earlier discussion and considering your medical training, what are the potential lasting effects of sodium poisoning? Kidney damage? ---
**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:** [April 7, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376/67 "2011-04-07T05:07:19Z")
Sad? Only in a sense that it’s sad how stupid some people can be. And as far as needing salt for sweating – I believe that’s how Gatorade and other sports drinks came about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-salt-competitively/553376.md?page=3)