In an unfortunate incident, a 22-year-old Chinese man has died after drinking 1.5 litres of Coca-Cola in ten minutes. Doctors in China revealed that the man drank 1.5 litres of Coke to combat heatwaves.
Did Coca-Cola kill a Chinese man?
The unnamed 22-year-old went to Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing after developing severe stomach pains and bloating. The heart rate of the young man was also very high, and he had extremely low blood pressure. Researchers also noted that the condition reduced the oxygen supply to his liver, causing hepatic ischemia, resulting in his death.
Doctors who studied the death of the man found that he took his last breath due to pneumatosis, an abnormal build-up of gas in the man's intestines and portal vein. Experts also suggested that pneumatosis might have attacked the young man, as he drank a large amount of Coca-Cola in a very few minutes.
British expert questions this claim
Even though Chinese experts have claimed Coca-Cola the reason behind the man's death, a British doctor has questioned this claim.
"The chances of downing 1.5 litres, or a little over three pints, of a regular soft drink being fatal would be very, very unlikely, I mean, staggeringly unlikely. Usually, this type of condition is caused because you have bacteria that has made its way from the normal gastrointestinal tract to somewhere they are not supposed to be, in this case, in the lining of the small intestine," said Professor Nathan Davies, a biochemist at University College London, Daily Mail reports.
He also made it clear that an underlying condition, along with drinking a large amount of Coca-Cola might have resulted in his death.
"It's possible, but not necessarily that likely, that drinking a large amount of carbonated drink could have had an exacerbating effect. But with no underlying condition it is very hard to see what could have happened," added Davies.
