A human who has no access to fresh water but is forced to drink seawater instead will ________.
A) produce excessive antidiuretic hormone to remove more water but hold back salts
B) passively excrete excess water in order to remove the high concentration of ingested salt
C) release atrial natriuretic peptide to decrease blood pressure
D) risk becoming overhydrated within 12 hours

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a human drinks seawater, the high concentration of salts in the water would cause the body to become even more dehydrated if the excess salts are not removed. To eliminate the excess salt, water will move through the kidneys to remove the salts, which results in the excretion of excess water. This is known as passive excretion. Therefore, choice B is the correct answer. Option A is incorrect because excessive antidiuretic hormone would only make the body retain more water, which is not helpful in this scenario. Option C is incorrect because releasing atrial natriuretic peptide reduces blood pressure, which is not a priority when there is a lack of fresh water to drink. Option D is incorrect because drinking seawater would result in dehydration, which contradicts the possibility of becoming overhydrated.

A Human Who Has No Access to Fresh Water but Is