If you’re the kind of person who thinks drinking Coke every day is a sure way to an early grave, this 74-year-old woman who has been basically living on the popular soft drinks for four decades would like a word with you…
Back in February, South Korean YouTube channel X SBS featured the unusual story of a pensioner who has allegedly been drinking nothing but Coca Cola for the past 40 years. Interestingly, she isn’t one of those people who just can’t stand water, or who has been drinking Coke from a young age and could never be weaned off of it. Her Coke addiction is related to a traumatic event – the loss of her husband, the love of her life, at the age of 34. The woman said that she turned to Coke the way other people turn to alcohol to drown their sorrows, and only became more addicted to the drink even more after also losing her son in a traffic accident.
The 74-year-old woman claims that she has consumed 10 cans of Coke per day, on average, for the last 40 years, which would put the grand total at almost 150,000 cans, or 37,500 liters. Now this is the type of dream consumer that I’m sure Coca Cola would love to have more of!
Common sense dictates that drinking nothing but sugary drinks for such a long time is a sure recipe for disaster, health-wise, but this South Korean pensioner insisted that she was in great physical shape, and that the Coke actually contributed positively to that. She said it was the perfect remedy to hiccups, and that a can of the fizzy drink always helps when she’s feeling tired, sleepy or hungry.
After hearing her claims, X SBS ask the pensioner if she was up for a health checkup at a local clinic, and she accepted. While her blood test came out normal for a person her age, an upper endoscopy revealed some minor stomach and duodenal ulcerations, which the doctor said could become a problem in the long term.
It’s not clear if the four decades of Coke consumption were the cause of the ulcers, but the woman told X SBS that she will try to lower the amount of Coca Cola she drinks every day.
