Mum-Of-Eight Died After Drinking 10 Litres Of Coca Cola A Day

Mum-Of-Eight Died After Drinking 10 Litres Of Coca Cola A Day

A mother-of-eight died had a fatal heart attack after drinking up to 10 litres of Coca-Cola a day, an inquest has heard.

The large quantities of the drink were a 'substantial factor' in Natasha Harris's death, a coroner said.

Natasha suffered a cardiac arrest.

Her Coca-Cola dependence has led to the removal of several of her teeth after they rotted - and one of her kids being born without tooth enamel.

She would drink at least four 2.5 litre bottles of the drink every day, consuming more than twice the recommended daily caffeine amount and 11 times more than the approved sugar intake.

Her partner Christopher Hodgkinson said: "I didn't ever think about the Coke. I never considered it would do any harm to a person. It's just a soft drink, just like drinking water. I didn't think a drink's going to kill you."

He went on to explain how Natasha got hooked and said: "She would get moody and get headaches if she didn't have any Coke and also feel low in energy."

The 30-year-old's family said labels on the bottles do not contain warnings about the drink's possible addictiveness.

Christopher's mother, Vivien Hodgkinson, said Natasha - who also smoked 30 cigarettes a day - had 'withdrawal symptoms' and would go 'crazy' if the soft drink ran out.

Christopher discovered her at their home in Invercargill, New Zealand, slumped in the bathroom and gasping for air in February 2010.

He told the inquest how her health had deteriorated in the time leading up to her death.

He said: "She had no energy and was feeling sick all the time. She would get up and vomit in the morning."

Coroner David Crerar said: "I find that, when all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died."

Coca-Cola said: "The coroner acknowledged that he could not be certain what caused Ms Harris' heart attack.

"We are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms Harris' excessive consumption of Coca-Cola, together with other health and lifestyle factors, as the probable cause of her death."

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