Two gallons of Coca-Cola leads to death of 30 year old

Read this one on an empty stomach

Let’s add this one to the file that reads, “you just can’t make this stuff up!”

A young New Zealand woman (just 30 years old) drank herself to death by drinking 2 gallons per day of Coca-Cola.

You may have already heard the story–and if so, I’m sure you’ve been waiting with baited breath for my reaction. So here it is, finally…

What?!? 2 gallons! When did she have time to go to work, eat, take care of her family of 8 children, and (dare I say it) excrete all of this fluid? It reminds me of that woman who needed to be surgically removed from her couch. She was so obese that she couldn’t get up and over time all of her excrement solidified her into the fabric.

Sorry if I’m grossing you out…but seriously, the extremes people go to. Anyway, back to New Zealand. This 30 year old died of a heart attack. The pathologist in the case said she probably suffered from hypokalemia, or low potassium, which he thinks was caused by her excessive consumption of Coke and overall poor nutrition.

Symptoms of hypokalemia can include abnormal heart rhythm, which can lead to sudden death. So it is a serious issue. The coroner also went on to say that there were toxic levels of caffeine found in her system. And that a stimulant found in Coke may have contributed to her death.

This young lady drank between 8 and 10 liters (2.1 and 2.6 gallons) of regular Coke every day. It wasn’t even diet. She probably would have died sooner if it were diet. How long did she have this habit? How much did she weigh? So many questions…

Finally, an answer to one: It was reported she had little time to eat yet managed to fit in at least 30 cigarettes per day. Is it any wonder that she complained of fatigue and had high blood pressure? The caffeine alone would give anyone high blood pressure.

You could just imagine how long Coca-Cola will drag this case out. Another pathologist, Dr. Martin Sage, said in a deposition that “it is certainly well demonstrated that excessive long or short term cola ingestion can be dramatically symptomatic, and there are strong hypothetical grounds for this becoming fatal in individual cases.”

Coca-Cola’s response was that any fluid in excess, even water, can lead to death; and its products are safe. While the former is certainly true, don’t get me started on the latter. That, folks, is the power of a good legal team. Maybe things don’t go better with Coca-Cola.