Drinking too much soda may well prove to be her nemesis. A 31-year-old from Monaco, France who reportedly drank close to two liters of soda (primarily cola) every day for the last one and a half decades was admitted to a hospital after she had heart problems.
Sources familiar with the matter state that woman, whose identity has not been revealed as yet, has been diagnosed with QT syndrome – a medical condition wherein the patient suffers from an irregular heartbeat.
Low Potassium Level
Medical tests confirmed that she had extremely low levels of potassium in her body. The woman does not have a family history of heart problems, or for that matter, any other hormonal problems.
The patient’s potassium levels and heart electrical activity returned to normalcy after she abstained from soda for merely a week.
“One of the take-home messages is that cardiologists need to be aware of the connection between cola consumption and potassium loss, and should ask patients found to have QT prolongation about beverage habits,” Dr Naima Zarqane, of Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco, was quoted as saying in the Huffington Post.
Previous research conducted by researchers and medical practitioners reveals a direct association between excessive drinking of soda and heart problems. High amounts of caffeine present in the soda also have the tendency to raise urine production and lessen potassium reabsorption.
Sodas Are Addictive
Umpteen cases are reported wherein a person is not able to perform the daily chores or suffers a headache if she does not consume a given quantity of soda everyday. In nutshell, it is a proven fact that soda consumption does have a tendency to become an addiction.
The present hospitalization is a warning for all those who just cannot make do without the soda drinks. That momentary pleasure may be a life-changer and that too towards adversity.
The case report of the Monaco patient has been presented at the European Heart Rhythm Association meeting in Athens, Greece.
