Coke (a Cola) Addict Dies of Overdose

Here's a story that worried me, since I'm a confirmed Diet Coke addict.

A coronor has ruled that a New Zealand woman has died because of a Coke addiction. Not a coke, as in cocaine addiction, that happens all the time. No, it was Coca-Cola that did her in.

Natasha Harris of New Zealand died of a Coke overdose.
A Coca-Cola overdose, to be precise

Apparently, she drank Coca Cola from the moment she got up in the morning until the moment she went to bed in the evening. It amounted to two liters of the stuff a day. 

Now that the woman has unfortunately passed, I wonder if Coca-Cola has noticed a corresponding sales decrease.

(Excuse me, I have to reach wayyy over to get another sip of my Diet Coke. I'm now doing it in the style made famous last night by Marco Rubio. It's a good stretching exercise.)

OK, I'm back. When I first read the story, I worried that my Diet Coke addiction would kill me, just like it did that woman, Natasha Harris, 30,   in New Zealand.

Reading the fine print in the MSNBC story, though, it's clear that I won't die immediately from this. I certainly drink less than two liters of Diet Coke every day.  True, it's plain Diet Coke is bad for me and I'd be much better off just drinking water. And I'm trying with varying degrees of success to cut back.

But, maybe this is just self-justification, my overall habits are better than the unfortunate woman in New Zealand. Apparently, she ate little food, other than the Coke, and smoked 30 cigarettes a day. Not a healthy regimen, if you ask me.

As for me, I love to eat. And a lot of it is nutritious food. (Friendly prodding from husband Jeff doesn't hurt in this regard) I haven't smoked a cigarette in a quarter century, since I was in my mid 20s. And I try to get a lot of exercise.

A major cause of Harris' death was probably low potassium in her system, created by all that Coke in coursing through her veins. The caffeine likely didn't help either. All this can cause heart function abnormalities, which can prove fatal, according to the coronor, as quoted in the MSNBC report.

As for the Coca Cola company, they say their product is safe, but do not that hugely excessive consumption of Coke, or water, or anything else for that matter, can be dangerous.

Stiill, the Coke death overdose news is slightly unnerving. Now that I've finished my latest Diet Coke,  I might hold off on getting another one for as long as possible.

OK, what did I do with that water bottle?