Sully2Cool Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Experts say a New Zealand woman's 2-gallon-a-day Coca-Cola habit probably contributed to her death, a conclusion that led the soft-drink giant to note that even water can be deadly in excessive amounts. Natasha Harris, a 30-year-old, stay-at-home mother of eight from Invercargill, died of a heart attack in February 2010. Fairfax Media reported that a pathologist, Dr. Dan Mornin, testified at an inquest Thursday that 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 rhythms, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Mornin said that toxic levels of caffeine, a stimulant found in Coke, also may have contributed to her death, according to Fairfax. Harris' partner, Chris Hodgkinson, testified that Harris drank between 8 and 10 litres (2.1 and 2.6 gallons) of regular Coke every day. "The first thing she would do in the morning was to have a drink of Coke beside her bed and the last thing she would do at night was have a drink of Coke," Hodgkinson said in a deposition. "She was addicted to Coke." Hodgkinson also said Harris ate little and smoked about 30 cigarettes a day. In the months before her death, he said, Harris experienced blood pressure problems and lacked energy. He said that on the morning of her death, Harris helped get her children ready for school before slumping against a wall. He called emergency services and tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but couldn't revive her. 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." Inquests such as this are sometimes held for unusual or unexplained deaths in New Zealand, and can help shape future health policies. With the evidence in the case now complete, the coroner's office will compile and issue a final report into the death. In an interview with The Associated Press, Lisa Te Morenga, a nutritionist at the University of Otago, said excessive consumption of any type of liquid in a cool climate would be likely to play havoc with the body's natural systems and balance. Karen Thompson, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Oceania, said in a statement that its products are safe. "We concur with the information shared by the coroner's office that the grossly excessive ingestion of any food product, including water, over a short period of time with the inadequate consumption of essential nutrients, and the failure to seek appropriate medical intervention when needed, can be dramatically symptomatic." http://ca.news.yahoo.com/experts-zealand-womans-2-gallon-day-coca-cola-132116143.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VICanucksfan5551 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 That might have been an issue? You don't say... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtis Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Stupid people shouldn't live... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BZRK Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*VaNcOuVeRCaNuCkS* Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I like how they are making out to be coke that killed her its not like the 3 issues listed below had any baring on her death 30 cigarettes a day, didn't eat much, probably no exercise Some people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BuckFoston Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 If you are going to drink 2 gallons of anything a day, may as well make it something useful like gin or vodka. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dKs89 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 "Likely" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrudeauVoter Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 and i thought im unhealthy by drinking a can of soda everyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pimpcurtly Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Nearly two milk jugs of coke-a-cola per day?? That's crazier than the motorbike guy in Vic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-SN- Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I like how they are making out to be coke that killed her its not like the 3 issues listed below had any baring on her death They said the coke may have contributed to her death. Not sure how you read that so wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*VaNcOuVeRCaNuCkS* Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 They said the coke may have contributed to her death. Not sure how you read that so wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanev's Smirk Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Maybe she didn't have enough Pepsi in her diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 She needs medical help - I suggest Dr Pepper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerg Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 She needs medical help - I suggest Dr Pepper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Dr Pepper won't bring her back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Columbo Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 The newsworthiness of this story is less than zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 How so. I was wondering the other day if 2 gallons of Coke a day might be a good way to lose weight. I will now not do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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