Excessive Coke linked to woman’s death

30-year-old Natashya Harris of New Zealand died 3 years ago because she was drinking huge amounts of Coca-Cola, a coroner said. The verdict came on the same day Coca-Cola reported that sales in Europe and China dipped in the last quarter of 2012. The company warned of a “volatile” year this 2013. A heavy drinker of Coke, Harris died after cardiac arrest. She drank up to 10 liters of the soda each day, which, according to the BBC, is twice the recommended safe limit of caffeine and more than 11 times the prescribed sugar intake. Coca-Cola had argued it could not be proven its product was the cause of Harris’ death, contrary to the coroner’s ruling that drinking large quantities of the fizzy drink was a “substantial factor” in her demise. Harris’ family said she developed an addiction to the drink and would get withdrawal symptoms if she went without Coke. Her consumption gave rise to cardiac arrhythmia, a condition when the heart either beats too fast or too slow.

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