DRINK as much water as possible – that’s the mantra athletes such as marathon runners have been following for decades. But the advice can be positively dangerous.
Plummeting blood sodium levels from an excessive intake of water during exercise have resulted in seven deaths and more than 250 casualties since the 1960s. Athletes should simply replace the water they lose through sweat, says sport scientist Timothy Noakes from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
The death of a runner from over-hydration in the 2002 Boston marathon reignited the debate over how much water athletes should consume.
Noakes’s advice to…
