Doctors warn that too much coke can cause muscle weakness

According to new research in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, three principal ingredients in most colas – glucose, fructose and caffeine – seem to impact the potassium levels of the body, although exactly how has not yet been determined.

Low potassium levels can, in turn, cause weakness, vomiting and in extreme cases, muscle paralysis,

The research says an Australian ostrich farmer had to have emergency care for lung paralysis after drinking 4-10 litres of cola a day.  Once he curtailed his cola drinking habits he is said to have made a full recovery.

Dr Clifford Packer from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Centre in Ohio, who was part of the research team, believes the problem may be more widespread than we are presently aware of.  “With aggressive mass marketing, super-sizing of soft drinks, and the effects of caffeine tolerance and dependence, there is very little doubt that tens of millions of people in industrialised countries drink at least two to three litres of cola per day.”