How much 2% milk can a human safely drink in an hour?

Hi,

The answer to the question varies with the size of the human, the
condition of the other body systems and the heat and humidity in the
surrounding air. In someone with a condition that results in reduced
kidney function or urinary output smaller amounts of liquid can be
more harmful. If your total body weight is low, you can tolerate less
additional liquid input. If it's a very hot dry day and you are
sweating a lot, you are getting rid of a lot of water and can tolerate
more input.

Unless there is an allergy to milk or some component (as in lactose
intolerance), the problem with drinking too much milk is not what's in
the milk, but the liquid itself. Consuming any liquid in large
quantities can result in overhydration. Just as dehydration can be
deadly, adding too much fluid - in any form - to your system can
interfere with processes that are vital to survival. The clinical name
for this condition is dilutional hyponatremia - or in lay terms
overhydration.

The body's normal response to drinking more than it can process is to
get rid of it. That is why people normally throw up when they consume
too much liquid. If you manage to bypass that safety net, the
electrolyte balance in your blood ca be disturbed and, if it gets bad
enough, it can cause coma or death.

Because drinking too much at one sitting usually results in vomiting,
this condition rarely occurs from an hour's worth of drinking. It is a
big problem in sports - especially endurance sports like marathons
where athletes force liquids over a period of days.

The answer to your question... for the healthy average weight person,
not doing strenuous activity on a mild day... there really is no
amount that would be considered dangerous. Whatever can be swallowed
and kept down is fine.

One site specifically states, "A healthy person cannot drink too
much."
http://www.fjallraven.com/polar/coolfacts5.htm


http://www.arttouch.com/cycling/co/wisdom/on_the_tour/concerns/electro.htm
http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/09_00/noakes.htm
http://www.fred.net/ultrunr/hydrate.html
http://blueprint.bluecrossmn.com/topic/topic100587242
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/10924/WATERM_6.pdf

search terms: milk liquid input safe levels hydration

Drink up!
bcguide-ga

Excellent, well-thought-through answer.

I don't think there's anything in milk that would harm you if you kept
drinking it for a full hour. You'd probably throw up first though. (I
saw a Road Rules vs. Real World challenge where they had to drink a
cup of lemonade every minute for an hour, neither team lasted more
than a half hour... both threw up).

skermit-ga