Harm to carbonated and energy drinks

2021: A Chinese man drank a liter and a half of cola in 10 minutes and died

In 2021, a resident of China drank one and a half liters of Coke in ten minutes, after which he became ill. The man died the next day - the efforts of doctors to save life were unsuccessful. The incident became known in May 2024.

According to the Daily Mail, the incident occurred with a 22-year-old young man, whose name has not been disclosed. The man went to hospital six hours after drinking a fizzy drink complaining of severe pain and bloating. He told medics he quickly drank 1.5 litres of Coke to "cool down in the heat."

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Doctors examined the patient and revealed pneumatosis in him - this is a rather rare condition, which is characterized by the appearance of cysts filled with gas in the lower part of the intestine. In addition, the young man had a rapid heart rate. Doctors recorded low blood pressure. 12 hours later, blood tests showed the man had severe liver damage.

The rapid consumption of the carbonated drink led to the accumulation of gas in his intestines, which, due to pressure, then leaked into the portal vein, one of the main blood vessels of the liver, the publication says.

Doctors diagnosed a young man with liver ischemia. It says medical staff "immediately" set about trying to release gas from the man's digestive system. He was also given special drugs designed to stabilize the body's functions.

At the same time, biochemist Nathan Davis from University College London said that the likelihood of death due to drunk soda is negligible. The cause of death of a young man, according to the expert, could be a bacterial infection, which provokes the accumulation of gases inside the body. These bacteria can form gas pockets, causing problems similar to those seen in a man.^[1]

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