The human brain stops people drinking more water than is healthy, new research shows.
Participants’ brains were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while they experienced thirst, and then after they drank to excess.
The study found a mechanism in the brain that signalled people should stop drinking water after they were no longer thirsty.
Researcher Professor Derek Denton said the brain regions responsible for these signals had not been previously identified.
The findings could be applied to other human behaviours such as food intake and sexual instincts.
Read more at University of Melbourne