Shocking: Natasha Marie Harris, a mother-of-eight, died suddenly because she drank 18 pints of Coca-Cola a day for years, an inquest has been told
A mother-of-eight died suddenly because she drank 18 pints of Coca-Cola a day for years, an inquest has heard.
Natasha Marie Harris would go 'crazy' if she ran out of the fizzy drink which she guzzled by the bottle.
The 30 year-old died suddenly at her home in Invercargill on New Zealand's south island.
Her partner, Christopher Hodgkinson claimed it was a result of drinking too much Coca-Cola.
Yesterday he told the inquest that Miss Harris had been unwell leading up to her death and had no energy, but the idea Coca-Cola caused the problem had never crossed their minds.
Mr Hodgkinson told the court that she had been unwell up to a year before her death, including vomiting six times a week, but they believed it was caused by the stress of looking after her eight children and gynecological problems.
'She drank at least 10 litres a day,' he said. 'As a family we would
buy four 2.5 litres a day, the maximum on special.
buy four 2.5 litres a day, the maximum on special.
'The Coke would be for Natasha to consume over the course of the day.
'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.'
the last thing she would do in the day was have a drink of Coke by her bed.'
Police who investigated the death, which happened on February 25, 2010, estimated she consumed, on average, seven litres a day.
Her partner said she was addicted to Coke and without it she would get
moody, irritable and be low
moody, irritable and be low
Addicted: Natasha Marie Harris would go 'crazy' if she ran out of the fizzy drink
'I didn't ever think about the Coke. I never considered it would do any
harm to a person. It's just a soft drink, just like drinking water. I didn't
think a drink's going to kill you,' he said.
harm to a person. It's just a soft drink, just like drinking water. I didn't
think a drink's going to kill you,' he said.
She had been drinking a lot of Coca-Cola over the past seven or eight years,' he said.
Vivien Hodgkinson, Mr Hodgkinson's mother, said she would go 'crazy' if
she ran out of the drink.
she ran out of the drink.
An autopsy showed Miss Harris had a diseased liver but the cause of death was undetermined.
Her partner said he had been told she had a heart aneurysm caused by too much Coke.
Medical evidence stated that the main finding of death was from a cardiac
arrhythmia.
arrhythmia.
Dr Dan Mornin told the court Miss Harris probably had severe hypokalemia, a lack of potassium in the blood, relating to excessive consumption of soft-drink.
He said although it was difficult to confirm this from postmortem tests, it
was consistent with her symptoms of tiredness and lack of strength and other cases of heavy soft-drink consumers.
was consistent with her symptoms of tiredness and lack of strength and other cases of heavy soft-drink consumers.
He added it was likely the vomiting was due to too much caffeine, medically
known as caffeine toxicity.
known as caffeine toxicity.
In June last year Coca-Cola confirmed it had hired a security firm to shadow its staff, after Mr Hodgkinson allegedly made death threats against the company.
He rejected claims he had made the threats, but said he held the company
responsible for Harris' death.
responsible for Harris' death.
Coca-Cola's New Zealand managing director George Adams said at the time that Hodgkinson's claims were 'patently untrue'.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2132087/Natasha-Marie-Harris-Coca-Cola-addiction-Mother-8-died-drank-18-pints-day.html#ixzz1sW9W3JFO
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