Woman dies after drinking 10 litres of Coca Cola a day: Coroner
Published: 2013 February 14 00:14:02 (3624 Views)
Natasha Harris, 30, suffered a heart attack and was found dead at home by her partner slumped in the toilet after drinking ten litres of Coca-Cola a day, an inquest has been told.
Coroner David Crerar said she would not have died if it was not for her dependence on the fizzy drink.
The inquest heard Ms Harris would drink at least four 2.5-litre bottles of the beverage each day, consuming more than twice the recommended daily caffeine amount and 11 times more than the approved sugar intake.
She was said to suffer withdrawal symptoms and mood swings without it. Her consumption of the drink led to the removal of several of her teeth after they rotted.
Her partner, Christopher Hodgkinson, told the court in Invercargill, New Zealand, that her death in February 2010 was the result of drinking too much Coca-Cola and he held the company responsible.
He said Ms Harris had been unwell up to a year before her death, vomiting six times a week and suffering a racing heartbeat – a symptom of consuming excessive caffeine.
He said: ‘I never considered it would do any harm to a person. It’s just a soft drink, like drinking water. I didn’t think a drink’s going to kill you.’
The coroner said her Coca-Cola consumption had given rise to cardiac arrhythmia and without it ‘it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died’. An autopsy showed Ms Harris had a diseased liver.
Coca-Cola’s New Zealand managing director George Adams said Mr Hodgkinson’s claims were ‘patently untrue’.
He added: ‘We are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on Ms Harris’s excessive consumption of Coca-Cola. This is contrary to the evidence that showed the experts could not agree on the most likely cause.’
- Metro
Coroner David Crerar said she would not have died if it was not for her dependence on the fizzy drink.
The inquest heard Ms Harris would drink at least four 2.5-litre bottles of the beverage each day, consuming more than twice the recommended daily caffeine amount and 11 times more than the approved sugar intake.
She was said to suffer withdrawal symptoms and mood swings without it. Her consumption of the drink led to the removal of several of her teeth after they rotted.
Her partner, Christopher Hodgkinson, told the court in Invercargill, New Zealand, that her death in February 2010 was the result of drinking too much Coca-Cola and he held the company responsible.
He said Ms Harris had been unwell up to a year before her death, vomiting six times a week and suffering a racing heartbeat – a symptom of consuming excessive caffeine.
He said: ‘I never considered it would do any harm to a person. It’s just a soft drink, like drinking water. I didn’t think a drink’s going to kill you.’
The coroner said her Coca-Cola consumption had given rise to cardiac arrhythmia and without it ‘it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died’. An autopsy showed Ms Harris had a diseased liver.
Coca-Cola’s New Zealand managing director George Adams said Mr Hodgkinson’s claims were ‘patently untrue’.
He added: ‘We are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on Ms Harris’s excessive consumption of Coca-Cola. This is contrary to the evidence that showed the experts could not agree on the most likely cause.’
- Metro
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