Nearly three years after 30-year-old Natasha Harris’ death, coroner reports are showing that excessive Coca-Cola consumption attributed to her passing.
Before the New Zealand mother of eight passed, all her teeth were removed from extreme decay.
According to the coroner, David Crerar, “The fact she had her teeth extracted several years before her death because of what her family believed was Coke-induced tooth decay, and the fact that one or more of her children were born without enamel on their teeth, should have been treated by her, and by her family, as a warning.â€
Reports show that Harris consumed an average of 2.5 gallons of Coke a day, and when she would try to go without the sugar-based beverage, she would display signs of withdrawal.
“(She would) go crazy if she ran out… she would get the shakes, withdrawal symptoms, be angry, on edge and snappy,” her mother-in-law, Vivien Hodgkinson, told the coroner.
The BBC states that, “the coroner calculated that drinking 10 litres (17.5 pints) of Coke amounted to more than 1kg (2.2lb) of sugar and 970mg of caffeine.â€
While the coroner clearly states that Coca-Cola is not responsible for Harris death, he does say they need to exhibit clearer labels.