Final answer:
Drinking too much water can cause water intoxication or hyponatremia, leading to a disruption in electrolyte balance, swelling of cells, and possibly cell death. The kidneys will produce urine that is very light in color to excrete excess water, but there's a limit to their capacity.
Step-by-step explanation:
When someone drinks too much water, the condition known as water intoxication or hyponatremia may occur. This happens because the excess water dilutes the concentration of sodium ions and other electrolytes in the bloodstream, which can disrupt the balance required for proper cell function
. In particular, if the concentration of solutes outside the cells, like red blood cells, becomes much lower than inside, water will move into the cells to balance the difference. This influx of water can make the cells swell and even burst (lyse). In the case of red blood cells, this process is known as hemolysis. When the risk is not so extreme, the body will try to excrete the excess water through urine, which will be very light in color due to the dilution of waste products.
Additionally, excessive water consumption can lead to the cells becoming unable to excrete waste products efficiently. The overabundance of water can cause cells to stop functioning properly and may result in cell death. The kidneys attempt to handle this situation by producing a large volume of urine to lower water levels in the blood, but there's a limit to how quickly and how much they can excrete.