Quick drink to death: 22-year-old man dies after allegedly drinking 1.5 litres of cola in 10 minutes

A man in China is said to have died after he quickly drank 1.5 litres of Coca-Cola in a span of 10 minutes, according to doctors. As reported by the Daily Mail_,_ the 22-year-old had drunk the soft drink to cool off in the heat. The man has been identified as a resident of Beijing. His rapid consumption of Coca-Cola created a fatal build-up of gas inside his body that deprived the man’s liver of oxygen and ultimately led to his demise. Six hours after he chugged the drink he was rushed to Beijing’s Chaoyang Hospital, after he complained of severe stomach swelling. The initial tests carried out on the patient revealed worrying signs, including an elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, low blood pressure, and Ischemic hepatitis, which is also called “shock liver". Doctors stated that the condition is caused by insufficient flow of blood to the liver. According to a detailed report by doctors that was published in the Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology journal, the manner in which the man drank the soda lead to a gas building up in his intestines that later leaked into one of the main blood vessels of the liver. He was given medication to protect his liver and stabilise other body functions from further deterioration, but even after 12 hours, the blood test results showed serious liver damage. The man’s condition worsened further, leading to his death after 18 hours of treatment. The man was said to have been in good health prior to the incident. Coca-Cola has not responded to the incident yet. However, Professor Nathan Davies, a biochemist at London’s University College, said that it was “staggeringly unlikely” that the soft drink was to blame for the man’s untimely death. According to Davies, a bacterial infection could also have been the reason for the gas build-up. He admitted that it may be possible that drinking 1.5 litres of Coca-Cola could have exacerbated the gas build-up, but he believes that it would not be likely. He added that more information was needed about the man’s health condition than was given in the report to draw accurate conclusions.