Bruce Lee’s Death Might Have Been Caused By Drinking Too Much Water. Can Hyponatremia Actually Be Fatal?

By Priyadarshini Malavia Updated November 23, 2022 4:19 PM

I personally grew up with Bruce Lee movies and have grown up idolising him. So as you can imagine, I mourn the loss and death of this brilliant man. And despite being one of the people who believe that he might have been murdered, recent studies by Clinical Kidney Journal suggest that he might have died due to drinking access water or hyponatremia! But isn’t water good for you? Yeah, that’s what I thought too so let’s see what hyponatremia is and if you can truly die by drinking too much water.

🐉💥Bruce Lee Kicking Ass Fridays pic.twitter.com/qdwNhcAy50

— Bruce Lee (@brucelee) November 18, 2022

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What Is Hyponatremia?

The term hyponatremia refers to a lower-than-normal blood sodium level in the body. You’ll see it recorded as sodium or Na+ in lab test results. Access to water consumption dilutes the sodium in the body which might cause Hyponatremia. How this works is that water consequently enters bodily cells, leading them to expand. Brain cells are severely affected by this swelling, which results in a change in the mental condition that might lead to seizures or a coma.

🐉📽🍿 Saturday Night • ‘We need emotional content, not anger. Now try again. With me.’ 🐉 Bruce Lee pic.twitter.com/GYhQh6Hbaz

— Bruce Lee (@brucelee) June 28, 2020

Is Hyponatremia Common?

It’s pretty typical to have hyponatremia. In fact, it’s the most typical chemical aberration detected in outpatient clinics and among hospitalised patients. Patients with the previously mentioned medical conditions or those admitted to hospital care units have higher rates of hyponatremia.

You have offended my family and you have offended the Shaolin temple! pic.twitter.com/xog4BDbeaE

— Bruce Lee (@brucelee) November 22, 2022

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Can Drinking Too Much Water Actually Be Harmful?

In most cases, the primary issue is having too much water in your body. The salt levels are diluted by the extra water. A considerable loss of salt from your body causes hyponatremia, which happens far less commonly. Your blood becomes diluted when your body has too much water. In addition to the salt and water they lose through sweat, they frequently restore these losses with water. Due to the body’s remaining sodium being diluted, pairing these two can be fatal.

Bruce. pic.twitter.com/IqFpuhYETD

— Bruce Lee (@brucelee) November 21, 2022

So, clearly, hyponatremia i.e. lack of sodium caused by excessive water intake can be fatal to the body. Bruce Lee died at the young age of 32 and his cause of death has been a topic of speculation since his tragic passing in 1973. Regardless of how he passed, there is no doubt that Bruce Lee was a pioneer and played a huge role in popularising martial arts along with dispelling myths around martial aritists. With films such as Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, and more, he made a mark on most that watched him in his short but impactful life.