this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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[–] theneverfox@pawb.social 60 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You can drink a little amount of salt water and probably come out ahead... Drink too much and you get into a death spiral though

[–] SendMePhotos@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (5 children)
[–] theneverfox@pawb.social 35 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Because your kidneys can filter out a certain percentage of salt, and that's based on the blood concentration

But if your blood goes above the level where the water is being drawn out of your cells and drying them out, you'll be dehydrated from the inside out

[–] UnculturedSwine@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago (4 children)
[–] elvith@feddit.org 27 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Salt is hydrophile, which means it attracts water.

  • To much salt (outside cell) now attracts the water in the cell to the outside -> less water in cell, cell dehydrated.
  • To little salt (outside cell): salt in cell attracts water from the outside, but now salt levels in the cell are diluted (these are actually needed in your cell to function).
  • Just the right amount of salt: cells can now directly use the water without diluting the salts they contain and continue working as normal
[–] KindnessIsPunk@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Real worried we're going to enter a Richard Feynman level why spiral

[–] elvith@feddit.org 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

because salt and water happen to be composed in such a way that they fit together nicely, and salt attracts the water in a similar way to a magnet. The positive and negative charges of the salt ions (Sodium+, Chloride–) fit into and attract the opposite charges of the water ions (Hydrogen–, Oxygen+).

[–] 11111one11111@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

It's simple homeostasis, homeslice!

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I felt bad for the interviewer at first, until the guy really got into his explanation. He wasn't being a dick, he was just saying "why" is a really deep question.

[–] KindnessIsPunk@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago

Yeah he does start out a bit blunt thankfully it had a point.

[–] Chrobin@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 2 days ago

Evolution and shit

[–] 11111one11111@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

It's from homeostasis, homefry!

[–] exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Because you can have a little salt, as a treat.

[–] blackwateropeth@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

You certainly won’t regret drinking a half gallon of salt water

[–] 11111one11111@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

It's your body doin homeostasis, hombre!

[–] Bluewing@discuss.online 1 points 1 day ago

That is a good question for a nephrologist.

Your body needs some salt, and it sweats out salt. So it needs to be replaced.