Excessive Soda Consumption to Blame for Heart Condition, Woman Only Drank Cola for Half of Life

A case report presented this week at the European Heart Rhythm Association meeting in Athens, Greece, shows what happens when you have too much of a good thing.

Take, for example, the 31-year-old female resident of Monaco who was brought to the hospital after fainting. The problem? She'd spent the last 15 years of her life only consuming soda. No water. Just soda, allegedly.

A test of her heart's electrical activity revealed that she had a condition called long QT syndrome, which caused erratic heart beats and possibly the fainting. She also had incredibly low levels of potassium, which may have been due to the 2 liters of soda she was drinking daily.

After abstaining from soda for just one week, her potassium levels and heart activity returned to normal levels.

"One of the take-home messages is that cardiologists need to be aware of the connection between cola consumption and potassium loss, and should ask patients found to have QT prolongation about beverage habits," said study researcher Dr. Naima Zarqane, of Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco, via Live Science.

Excessive consumption of soda can create bowel problems, loss of potassium, heart conditions and even heart attack and death. Health experts recommend consuming moderate amounts of caffeinated beverages to help control health problems for overall health and well-being.

And, in conclusion, whether you can't stop inhaling your favorite junk food, you can't stop exercising--heck, even if you can't stop slurping down water, there is, unfortunately, too much of a good thing. For anything. Period.