The main differences between food poisoning and water intoxication are: different causes of poisoning, different mechanisms of illness and different symptoms. Food poisoning refers to the disease caused by food contaminated by bacteria or bacterial toxins, or food itself contains toxins and is consumed. Water poisoning refers to a variety of reasons for extracellular fluid hypotonic, excessive water, more than the body’s ability to compensate, resulting in excessive intracellular water, and produce a series of symptoms. 1. The causes of poisoning are different: food poisoning is caused by taking unclean food or poisonous objects, while water intoxication is caused by extracellular fluid hypotonicity and excessive intracellular water, which can be related to drinking a large amount of water within a short period of time. 2. Different pathogenic mechanisms: food poisoning is a series of systemic symptoms produced by pathogenic microorganisms in food or their harmful metabolites; whereas water intoxication is a series of symptoms caused by severe hypotonicity. 3. Symptoms are different: food poisoning is often manifested as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms; acute water intoxication can appear headache, agitation, drowsiness, mental confusion and other neurological symptoms. In the event of food poisoning or water intoxication, it is recommended that you seek immediate medical attention and follow the doctor’s instructions to avoid delaying your condition.