Doctor condemns Chris Pratt over ‘really dangerous’ claims about drinking water

A doctor has condemned the “really dangerous” claims that have been made about how much water Chris Pratt used to drink in a day.

Ryan Marino, MD, a doctor who often studies toxicology and addiction, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his candid thoughts about Pratt’s alleged healthcare routine. His comments came after Vanity Fair published an excerpt of the upcoming MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, in which authors Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards wrote that while Pratt was filming Guardians of the Galaxy, a nutritionist “increased his caloric intake to 4,000 a day, plus one ounce of water for each pound the actor weighed”.

On X, Marino went on to criticise Pratt’s alleged water intake, before noting that drinking that much water a day isn’t necessarily possible, as it could make someone extremely sick.

“Hi! Poisoning doctor here! This is not possible and is literally how you get water poisoning, which is really, really dangerous to do because it’s really, really bad,” he wrote. “He absolutely did not do this, and you should not do this, too!”

Along with Marino, many fans took to X to speak out about water poisoning, as they questioned how much water Pratt ended up having in a day.

“220 glasses everyday? Good lord. One gallon is 16 eight-ounce glasses. He was drinking 14 gallons of water a day? I just find that so hard to believe,” one social media user wrote in response to a tweet, which noted that Pratt reportedly weighed around 220 pounds during the time he was filming the Marvel movie.

“Unhealthy,” another responded, while a third wrote: “That’s more than 50 litres of water. I mean that can’t be true, how can you drink that much water.”

As noted by Healthline, water poisoning occurs after you drink “more than three to four litres of water in a few hours”. The outlet also notes that potential symptoms can include head pain, nausea or vomiting, and drowsiness and fatigue. In some cases, drinking too much water can result in hyponatremia, which occurs “when your blood sodium concentration becomes very low”, causing cells in the bloodstream to “swell”.

Although the ideal amount of water that people drink depends on the individual, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have determined that men should drink about 15.5 cups of fluid a day, and women should have about 11.5 cups, with the recommendations covering “fluids from water, other beverages and food,” as noted by the Mayo Clinic.

Back in 2014, Pratt first opened up about drinking a lot of water when filming Guardians of the Galaxy. During an interview about his then-health routine, featured in the new book excerpt published by Vanity Fair, he said: “I was peeing all day long, every day. That part was a nightmare.”

Although Pratt hasn’t spoken out about the controversial water drinking routine featured in MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, he’s previously discussed the importance of staying hydrated. During an interview with Men’s Journal in 2020, he said his number one fitness tip for getting in shape was drinking lots of water, before explaining why he drank a gallon of water a day.

“I try to drink at least a gallon of water a day to keep my muscles in top form and to help them recover from a workout,” he said. “It’s simple, but it really makes a difference. Also, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised how important it is to really take the time to stretch your muscles.”

The Independent has contacted a representative for Pratt for comment.