Drinking too much Coco-Cola can lead to diabetes-that is commonly-known, but what most people don't know is it can also be responsible for death.
Natasha Harris, a native New Zealander and a mother of eight, who died May 30, 2010, due to cardiac arrhythmia, according to coroner David Crerar's report released on Tuesday, drank up to 10 liters of Coke a day, equivalent to more than twice the 400mg recommended safe limit of caffeine.
Christopher Hodgkinson, her de facto partner, had told the inquest that Ms. Harris was addicted to Coca-Cola, according to The Telegraph.
"The first thing she would do in the morning was have a drink of Coke, and the last thing she would do in the day was have a drink of Coke by her bed," he said according to The Telegraph.
The Telegraph also reported that on top of the Coco-Cola, she smoked about 30 cigarettes a day and ate very little.
Some of the results from ingesting that much Coco-Cola into her system, according to The Telegraph were having her teeth pulled out, due to them rotting and having, at least, one of her children being born without tooth enamel.
Crerar, coroner for the Southland region, (Harris lived in the southern city of Invercargill) said: "It is more likely than not that the drinking of very large quantities of Coke was a substantial factor that contributed to the development of the metabolic imbalances, which gave rise to arrhythmia," stated The Telegraph.
He concluded: "I find that, when all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died," The Telegraph reported.
New Zealand's Ministry of Health, following the recommendation of Crerar will now review whether labels on soft drinks give sufficient protection to customers," according to The Telegraph
In a statement, Coca-Cola Oceania Ltd said:
"The coroner acknowledged that he could not be certain what caused Ms. Harris's heart attack. Therefore we are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms. Harris's excessive consumption of Coca-Cola, together with other health and lifestyle factors, as the probable cause of her death.
Adding, "the point of this entire thing is, excessive consumption of anything could cause death. People even die after excessive consumption of water. It is all about a little common sense. Do not drink 2.5 gallons of Coca-Cola every day. If you do, you should probably stop," according to examiner.com.
The moral of the story:
Drink in moderation.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
