Two-Gallon-A-Day Coca Cola Habit

[Hyacinth]

I came across an article on Yahoo reporting the death of a 30-year old mother. Medical authorities say that her two-gallon-a-day Coca Cola habit might have been one of the factors that triggered her death. Excessive consumption of the beverage can cause low potassium level and too much caffeine.

 

[Irma]

I kicked the habit of drinking diet soda about two years ago. I used to drink a 20 ounce bottle every afternoon. I feel much better since quitting.

 

[hunysukle]

Soft beverages are some of the worse beverages one can consume. They are extremely acidic and are linked to diabetes and other diseases. Drinking just one can of coke per day is already bad enough, let alone two gallons. I bet she completely replaced water with coke.

 

[BonnyC]

Excessive anything is bad for you. Drinking too much water can kill you. Not that I'm saying that a 2 gallon a day diet of coke is not a big deal, but it's just another example. There was a girl in the UK recently who was hospitalized and severely malnourished because the only thing she ever ate since she was a child was chicken nuggets from McDonald's.

 

[Parker]

I read about this poor woman. I also had a Coke addiction, but nowhere as bad a this woman. I call it an addiction because when I was weening myself off it, I would have flashes about the Coke bubbling in my glass. I could taste it in my mouth. I had bad withdrawal symptoms. It was horrible.

I am really surprised that she didn't have serious heart problems drinking that much soda.

 

[shaunche]

Not surprised she is dead if she was drinking ridiculous amounts of coca-cola. Coca-cola is toxic to the body, 200,000 times more acidic than water, with a pH of 2.5. Not to mention all the sugar which feeds bacteria and cancer.

 

[rayne]

More and more research is being done about the effects of soft drinks on the body and findings are not good. I work with some folks that have to have their morning sundrop to get going just like I have to have my cup of coffee. However, I quit after about two cups and they continue to drink their sundrops all day long. Not good!!

 

[4leafclover]

I am actually saddened by the news esp that they have to point out Coca Cola in particular (of which I'm an avid consumer), because we have to bear in mind too much of anything is really dangerous. Caffeine and sugar taken in large amounts daily can really trigger various diseases, and her death is (honestly, from my point of view) not surprising anymore if she led that kind of life. This is an eye opener for all of us to control our cravings.

 

[lettuce]

I also read this and was shocked. How is it even possible to consume that much soda in a 24 hour period?! And how in the world did she fit gallons of it in her fridge??

 

[artistry]

I read about this as well. She had 8 chikldren. This did cause hypokalemia, which in turn causes abnormal heath rhythms. She died of a heart attack. Sad, but she was addicted to the coke. Didn't coke contain cocaine, a long time ago? Did they really stop adding it?

 

[peacenik]

Good grief! I can't imagine drinking two gallons of anything every day. You only need about 64 to 96 oz of water for optimal hydration and that's less than a gallon.

 

[Parker]

This did cause hypokalemia, which in turn causes abnormal heath rhythms. She died of a heart attack. Sad, but she was addicted.

I'm not surprised that they ultimate cause was a heart attack. I know whenever I used to drink a large amount of Coke, I would get heart palpitations. This is the main reason I knew I had to give it up.

 

[SEA81]

I read about that woman, but I don't think that's what killed her. Sure, it could have contributed but there were so many other factors: she smoked (A LOT), had 8 kids and was only 30, was incredibly stressed out or so says her family, was malnourished from poor eating habits, etc. I'm sure that much Coke is not good for anyone (or that much anything for that matter), but I think the media is unfairly blaming the drink for her death.

 

[jason]

I read about this as well. She had 8 chikldren. This did cause hypokalemia, which in turm causes abnormal heath rhythms. She died of a heart attack. Sad, but she was addocted to the cole. Didn't coke contain cocaine, a long time ago? Did they really stop adding it?

Yes and no. It used extract of coca leaves. Based on old recipes, it most likely contained some cocaine. By 1902 it was recorded to have 1/400 of a grain of cocaine per once of syrup. It became cocaine free in 1929. In the 1800's cocaine was used as a medication too.

Coca-Cola is said to still be the only company that has a special arrangement with the Drug Enforcement Administration allowing them to import dried coca leaves from Peru. The dried coca leaves are processed in Maywood, NJ owned by Stepan Corporation which is a chemicals company. They strip the cocaine from them, and the cocaine-free leaves are shipped off to coke to be turned into syrup for their soda. The Stepan company then ships the cocaine to the Mallinckrodt Corporation which creates a legal, topical anesthesia called cocaine hydrochloride that numbs the mouth nose or throat and requires a DEA form to obtain.

May be a bit more info then you were looking for, but I found it interesting.

 

[aphil]

The woman was probably not aware she was killing herself, or maybe she knew but was addicted to the caffeine. Soft drinks are actually hard and wreak havoc on the body. From too much acid to destroying the sugar balance in the body to being a cause of the worst cancer; pancreatic cancer. There are so many herbal beverages that taste so much better and are healthy. Visit this article to get some recipes for healthy drinks:Replace Cancer Causing Soft Drinks — Knoji

 

[Hickorycottage]

This is terrible. Too much acid in the body causes a plethora of health conditions. I enjoy a caffeinated soft drink with a meal now and then, but I have cut down drastically on its consumption.

 

[classicnyer]

I read about that woman, but I don't think that's what killed her. Sure, it could have contributed but there were so many other factors: she smoked (A LOT), had 8 kids and was only 30, was incredibly stressed out or so says her family, was malnourished from poor eating habits, etc. I'm sure that much Coke is not good for anyone (or that much anything for that matter), but I think the media is unfairly blaming the drink for her death.

I hear what you're saying, but I think the greater point is that her poor eating habits included such a ridiculous monstrosity as a two-liter coke habit. The media loves to jump to the most sensational element, admittedly, but it does make you wonder, if she though that much soda was okay, then what the heck were her other eating habits like?

 

[Isabellas2007]

They think it led to the cause. I would think it did! I can barely finish a can anymore without having to deal with some type of issue. I cannot imagine drinking that much in the way of coke on a daily basis.

 

[beckyv1265]

Any soda is bad for you. It cause you to loose minerals in your body. It should only be used on special occasions. Like in a Root Beer float. lol

 

[Esperahol]

I hear what you're saying, but I think the greater point is that her poor eating habits included such a ridiculous monstrosity as a two-liter coke habit. The media loves to jump to the most sensational element, admittedly, but it does make you wonder, if she though that much soda was okay, then what the heck were her other eating habits like?

But here's the thing - I know for a fact that soda contains empty calories and has tons of sugar. So there are times in the past when I drank soda to make up for a meal or two. I do the same thing now except I just add a crap ton of sugar to a glass of milk. If she had that many kids in this economy I imagine her calorie intake depended almost entirely on soda which doesn't require you to cook and which can have a cap put on it when you have to change diapers, or run errands, or whatever.