New Research Suggests That Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee May Have Died From Drinking Too Much Water

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Pictured above are the likeness and wise words of legendary martial artist and pop culture icon, Bruce Lee, taken from the famous interview where he uttered the quote.

Whether you’re a Bruce Lee fanatic or just know of him through reputation, one look at him and you could tell that the man was still in prime shape at the time of his passing.

At first, his autopsy ruled that he had died of brain swelling back in July 1973 in Hong Kong at the fairly young age of 32.

Recently, new research has brought to light that this might have been due to his high consumption of water.

“Water Can Flow Or It Can Crash”

A study published in an issue of the Clinical Kidney Journal reported that Lee drank too much water for his body to properly absorb which led him to contract hyponatraemia, which researchers believe to be the real cause of Bruce Lee’s death.

Hyponatraemia causes a person’s blood sodium levels to drop because of the excess water in their body, which prevents them from urinating properly.

source: IMDb

For decades many rumour regarding Bruce Lee’s death have floated about. Some believe a curse was placed upon his family following the tragic on-set death of actor and son, Brandon Lee while filming for the movie The Crow in 1993.

Others speculate that the marital arts master could’ve possibly met his demise from being poisoned by aspirin to suffering a heatstroke while there’s even stories about his death being a hit put out by a criminal organisation.

source: Fanpop

“We hypothesise that Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction: the inability to excrete enough water to maintain water homeostasis,” said the group of doctors who conducted this research from Autonomous University, Madrid.

“This may lead to hyponatraemia, cerebral oedema and death within hours if excess water intake is not matched by water excretion in urine.

“Given that hyponatraemia is frequent, as is found in up to 40 per cent of hospitalised persons and may cause death due to excessive water ingestion even in young healthy persons, there is a need for a wider dissemination of the concept that excessive water intake can kill.”

Empty Your Mind

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While being the epitome of peak physical fitness throughout the majority of his career, Bruce Lee did notably have a fondness for the finer things in life.

The study pointed out he had a “chronic fluid intake” which consisted of a primarily juice-based diet, alcohol and cannabis.

Additionally, he was also injured numerous times as a martial artist and stunt coordinator, suffering from kidney injury besides the occasional scar or bruise.

All of the aforementioned reasons are risk factors for hyponatraemia according to the study.

Furthermore, the team of doctors noted that hyponatraemia may have contributed to the original brain swelling discovered by doctors in 1973.

source: El Confidencial