Coca-Cola Addiction Death; Natasha Harris Drank 10 Liters A Day

Soda fans everywhere are taking notice of the Coca-Cola addiction death of New Zealand mother of eight Natasha Harris. Harris had a heavy Coca-Cola addiction leading up to her death three years ago, consuming as much as 10 liters of Coke every day. That's approximately 4,000 calories and more than 1,000 grams of sugar per day, along with twice the recommended daily allowance of caffeine. Harris' Coca-Cola addiction was so sever she reportedly went through withdrawal symptoms, becoming shaky and irritable, if she went without the sugared beverage for an extended period of time. Many of her teeth had rotted out, and one of her children was born without any enamel on his teeth.

"The first thing she would do in the morning was have a drink of Coke, and the last thing she would do in the day was have a drink of Coke by her bed," her boyfriend Christopher Hodgkinson said during a coroner's inquest.

Coroner David Crerar is the man claiming that Harris was a victim of a Coca-Cola addiction death. According to the coroner Harris died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by the effects of caffeine and a poor nutrition.

"The drinking of very large quantities of Coke was a substantial factor that contributed to the development of the metabolic imbalances which gave rise to the arrhythmia," he said on Tuesday. "I find that, when all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died."

The coroner advised the New Zealand Ministry of Health to review whether labels on soft drinks gave enough protection to consumers and urged Coca-Cola to consider including the quantity of caffeine content on its labels, along with a warning on excessive consumption.

In a statement, Coca-Cola Oceania Ltd. said the company did not agree with the verdict pointing to the soft drink as the main cause of the heart condition that led to Harris' death.

"The coroner acknowledged that he could not be certain what caused Ms Harris' heart attack. Therefore we are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms Harris' excessive consumption of Coca-Cola, together with other health and lifestyle factors, as the probable cause of her death. This is contrary to the evidence that showed the experts could not agree on the most likely cause."