Would it be dangerous to drink a lot of water (10+ glasses) and then drink alcohol? There'd be no ADH?

Question

I'm not completely familiar with the ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) cycle, but I'm sure that it's used to increase or decrease the permeability of the walls of the kidneys to either allow more water or less water in (is that right?). Thing is, if alcohol stops ADH, and you've drunk a lot of water, surely this means that your blood becomes very diluted because there's nothing to tell it to be absorbed?

Please help!

Answer 1

ADH secretion has the effect of retaining water. Reducing its level has the effect of increasing water loss through the kidneys.

ADH will already be low if you have drunk a lot of water. The alcohol might reduce it further. In any case the effect will be either zero, or an increase in diuresis (water excretion).

Answer 2

Hello,

(ANS) Its depends on how BIG the classes are (you haven't stated the size or volume) i.e. could be just a few fluid ounces or could be several prints? either way drinking large amounts of water is never really recommended.

**I think the pseudo health lobby & the government has become obsessed with utterly stupid ideas about such things as drinking LOTS of water each day & eating x7 pieces of fruit each day. Its totally nutty in my view & there is zero evidence that it improves health anyway.

**drinking 10+ glasses of water will just make your kidneys & liver work harder than it would normally and will have no positive health effects.

**Drinking alcohol acts as a diuretic & again will just make you pass more urine than you would otherwise, again zero health benefits. In fact alcohol drunk in that way is more likely to have a detrimental effect on the body in my opinion.

Ivan