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Can too much soda paralyze you?
July 13, 2009
I’ve highlighted the health problems related to consuming large quantities of soda in the past. It’s amazing to me that so many North Americans seem addicted to soda and it’s amazing how few of them understand the impact on their health.
I don’t drink sodas as a general rule, but I will have the occasional cream soda (from the natural health food store), Orangina (French drink) or Limonata (Italian drink), but that’s pretty much it and I can count on one hand how many times that happens.
It’s been well documented that consuming large quantities of soda will affect your weight because there is soooooooo much sugar added, but here’s a new health shocker that might get soda-addicts to listen and take note.
I was fairly shocked when I read this news, but I found it was so important to pass this to my readers.
I was surfing the pages of BBC News when I read about an Australian farmer who needed emergency care for lung paralysis after drinking 4-10 litres of cola a day (by the way, the farmer made a full recovery). I cannot imagine that anyone would drink that much cola in one single day.
The sad reality is that there are a lot of people drinking those kinds of quantities of soda per day who have not yet been seriously affected the way this farmer has.
The BBC feature also talks about a pregnant woman who drank three litres a day of soda for the last six years who also dealt with a serious health scare.
From what I can read from one of the medical experts who was interviewed by BBC News, these cases are rare. That said, the article goes into detail about how drinking that much soda can affect the blood potassium in your body to drop to dangerous levels and it seems to cause muscle paralysis and muscle weakness.
I say blame it on supersizing. Has anyone ever looked at the sizes of soda containers at 7 Eleven (American convenient stores in the U.S. and Canada) or at the movie theatre? My God, they are HUGE. When I see someone carrying them around I always wonder how many trips to the bathroom do you have to take in order to get all the liquid out of your body?
If you are a soda lover or if you know someone who is, I think you need to read the complete BBC News feature because it’s really worth it! You’ll find the link here: Too much cola zaps muscle power
Here are a few other posts on the dangers of drinking a lot of soda:
Can soda drinks age your teeth?
Could obesity gradually numb your taste sensation and your taste buds?
Photo by poolie
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