Woman Hospitalized After Drinking Only Soda For 16 Years

In case anyone had any doubts, drinking only soda for a lifetime can have adverse effects on health. Go figure.

A French woman who drank only soda for 16 years was hospitalized for low-potassium levels after she fainted. A test of the woman's heart's electrical activity revealed that she had a condition called long QT syndrome, which can cause erratic heart beats, according to Live Science.

Because the woman did not have any family history of heart problems, doctors asked her questions about her lifestyle and found out she drank about 2 liters of cola daily and had not drunk any liquids but soda since she was 15.

Following her hospital visit, she abstained from soda for a week and her potassium levels and heart electrical activity returned to normal, according to Yahoo.

The potassium issues associated with drinking too much soda comes from the increase in urine production and decrease in potassium reabsorption from the sugar and caffeine and low levels of potassium may cause heart rhythm problems, researchers said to Live Science.

"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," said study researcher Dr. Naima Zarqane, of Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco to Live Science.