ARTA, Greece, May 20, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Excessive cola consumption can
lead to muscle problems -- from mild weakness to profound paralysis --
researchers in Greece warn.
"We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health
issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone
demineralization and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes," Dr.
Moses Elisaf of the University of Ioannina in Greece said in a statement.
"Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead
to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse
effect on vital muscle functions."
The review, scheduled to be published in the June issue International Journal of
Clinical Practice, said all the patients studied made a rapid and full recovery
after they stopped drinking cola and took oral or intravenous potassium.
Elisaf and colleagues reviewed case studies that looked at patients whose
consumption of cola ranged from two to nine quarts of cola a day.
In one case study, a 21-year-old woman consumed up to about three quarts of cola
a day and complained of fatigue, appetite loss and persistent vomiting. Another
woman, who had been drinking seven quarts of cola a day for 10 months had low
potassium levels and suffered from increasing muscular weakness.
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