As it turns out, water sickness is actually a poorly understood phenomenon, so I talked to her Dr. Supriya Rao – Who is the quadrilateral? Board certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Obesity Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine – to further explain these experiences.
As Rao says, there are many reasons why a person might experience nausea after drinking water, and although it is more common in obese patients (especially those with Gastric bypass), it can happen to anyone. One cause may be pre-existing dehydration. “Patients may have some sort of electrolyte imbalance, because with overloaded patients, they’re not absorbing all the vitamins that they normally would,” she told BuzzFeed.
“Or it could be the way the surgery is done, from a nervous system point of view. You’re changing things in your gut, and it’s possible that nerve endings are sending signals that make you feel nauseous, and that eating something sweet will make it more palatable. Sugar, salt and fat are generally more acceptable ingredients.”