Excessive cola consumption can lead to super-sized muscle problems warn doctors

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Excessive cola consumption can lead to super-sized muscle problems warn doctors

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/w-ecc051909.php

Doctors have issued a warning about excessive cola consumption after noticing an

increase in the number of patients suffering from muscle problems, according to

the June issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

" We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health

issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone

demineralisation and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes " says Dr

Moses f from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of

Ioannina, Greece.

" 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. "

A research review carried out by Dr f and his colleagues has shown that

symptoms can range from mild weakness to profound paralysis. Luckily all the

patients studied made a rapid and full recovery after they stopped drinking cola

and took oral or intravenous potassium.

The case studies looked at patients whose consumption ranged from two to nine

litres of cola a day.

They included two pregnant women who were admitted with low potassium levels.

The first, a 21 year-old woman, was consuming up to three litres of cola a day

and complained of fatigue, appetite loss and persistent vomiting. An

electrocardiagram also revealed she had a heart blockage, while blood tests

showed she had low potassium levels.

The second also had low potassium levels and was suffering from increasing

muscular weakness. It turned out she had been drinking up to seven litres of

cola a day for the last 10 months.

In a commentary on the paper, Dr Clifford Packer from the Louis Stokes Cleveland

VA Medical Centre in Ohio relates the strange case of the ostrich farmer who

returned from the Australian outback with muscle weakness. He had been drinking

four litres of cola a day for the last three years and drank up to 10 litres a

day when he was in the outback, causing a rapid reduction in his potassium

levels.

He also relates a puzzling case he saw in his own clinical practice, which was

solved when the patient turned up at his office with a two-litre bottle of cola

in the basket of his electric scooter. It turned out he routinely drank up to

four litres a day. He refused to stop drinking cola, but halved his consumption

and the muscle weakness he had been complaining of improved.

In 2007 the worldwide annual consumption of soft drinks reached 552 billion

litres, the equivalent of just under 83 litres per person per year, and this is

projected to increase to 95 litres per person per year by 2012. However the

figure has already reached an average of 212 litres per person per year in the

United States.

It appears that hypokalaemia can be caused by excessive consumption of three of

the most common ingredients in cola drinks – glucose, fructose and caffeine.

" The individual role of each of these ingredients in the pathophysiology of

cola-induced hypokalaemia has not been determined and may vary in different

patients " says Dr f.

" However in most of the cases we looked at for our review, caffeine intoxication

was thought to play the most important role. This has been borne out by case

studies that focus on other products that contain high levels of caffeine but no

glucose or fructose.

" Despite this, caffeine free cola products can also cause hypokalaemia because

the fructose they contain can cause diarrhoea. "

The authors argue that in an era when portion sizes are becoming bigger and

bigger, the excessive consumption of cola products has real public health

implications.

" Although most patients recover when they stop drinking cola and take potassium

supplements, cola-induced chronic hypokalaemia can make them more susceptible to

potentially fatal complications, such as an irregular heartbeat " says Dr f.

" In addition, excessive consumption of any kind of cola can lead to a range of

health problems including fatigue, loss of productivity and muscular symptoms

that vary from mild weakness to profound paralysis.

" We believe that further studies are needed to establish how much is too much

when it comes to the daily consumption of cola drinks. "

Dr Packer agrees that the problem needs to be addressed.

" Cola drinks need to be added to the physician's checklist of drugs and

substances that can cause hypokalaemia " he says.

" And the soft drink industry needs to promote safe and moderate use of its

products for all age groups, reduce serving sizes and pay heed to the rising

call for healthier drinks. "