The Man Who Drank 1.5 Liters Of Coca-Cola in 10 Minutes

Everyone loves a good bubbly soda drink. No one really thinks about the health problems that could be associated with long term of drinking soda. While it leads to unpleasant symptoms from drinking soda daily. According to Global Health (2017), drinking lots of soda can lead to cancer, tooth decay, lower calcium, and obesity. Now, why are sugary drinks like these being promoted if that's what they cause in the future? Well because the companies have to make money off of their consumers in order to replenish their pockets. They're not concerned with the consumers' health and that's why it's very important that individuals learn the risk associated with specific kinds of food.

There was a young 22-year old man who decided, hey I could use a cold Coca-Cola right now. He decided to buy a 1.5 liter and was so thirsty that he consumed it in 10 minutes. He drank it so fast that his body wasn't able to build up enough oxygen to break down the gas that was flowing in his body. He experienced a bloated stomach with intense pain. According to Inquirer Net (2021), the man had gas trapped in his organs which then lead to his liver failing to cause him to be in shock. Despite the doctors trying to save him, he ended up dying.

This is what 1.5 liters look like. When thinking about drinking this much soda, my mind instantly goes to how much sugar has been consumed. High sugar levels can lead to high blood pressure. The body has to work extra hard to balance out this much sugar. The liver also is working hard to bring in insulin to level things out; when we put things in our body that changes the level of homeostasis. When consuming soda know that it's not a hydrating drink, actually, it's probably one of the most dehydrating drinks next to alcohol. Despite anything, any person should know that consuming these high-level sugar drinks in one gulp isn't going to hydrate the body.

We know what sweetness tastes like and it can be the devil until we become tired of consuming it. Sugar is addicting and it can trigger something in the brain to make people feel good. According to Healthline (2020), the brain has a bigger reward for things that makes us feel good after getting them. Especially with foods that are sweet, our brain triggers an emotion (dopamine) that makes us feel like we want more leading to us wanting that item more and more. Our mind loves to play tricks on us however, our body will always know what is best for us in the end.

It's sad to think that we live in a world where we strive and try to be the best healthy person possible, but then we have all these unhealthy choices to choose from making us feel like it won't hurt if we do it once; with us not really understanding that the one choice you make will lead to a domino effect on our future choices.

But in all, we have to be more educated about what we're putting in our bodies. This man thought that he was hydrating himself by drinking soda leading to this unfortunate fate. If he would've consumed that much water, he probably would've felt hydrated by the third sip. It's very important that we educate ourselves about what to not overconsume and what is beneficial for the body. My condolences to this young man's family and let's hope that our young generation is educated enough to not choose the same choices.