A 31-year old woman’s health problems – heart condition, fainting, etc., may have something to do with the fact that she drank soda for half her life.
She drank only soda, no less.
The woman, who lives in Monaco, was recently brought to a hospital after she fainted. A blood test showed she had severely low potassium levels.
Furthermore, a test of her heart’s electrical activity revealed she had a condition called long QT syndrome, which can cause erratic heart beats.
The woman did not have a family history of heart or hormone problems, but she told her doctors that, since the age of 15, she had not had any water.
Soda, about two liters a day, was the only liquid she consumed.
After abstaining from soda and drinking water for just one week, the woman’s potassium levels and heart electrical activity returned to normal.
Drinking too much cola may cause excess water to enter the bowels, which in turn leads to diarrhea, and loss of potassium, the researchers said.
Physicians believe potassium plays a role in helping a person’s heartbeat, and that low levels of potassium may in turn cause heart rhythm problems.
Of course, excessive soda consumption also leads to weight gain, which is a risk factor for heart disease, and to oral hygiene problems.
The woman’s case report cited above was presented earlier this week at the European Heart Rhythm Association meeting in Athens, Greece.