30-year-old mother of eight Natasha Harris suffered from a heart attack as a result of consuming massive amounts of caffiene and sugar. Harris’s intake was more than 11 times the recommended standard daily amount of sugar, according to a report by Fairfax NZ News / stuff.co.nz
“She would get moody and get headaches if she didn’t have any Coke and also feel low in energy.” said her partner Christopher Hodgkinson.
Hodgkinson also told reporters that his partner suffered from fatigue and illness before she died “She had no energy and was feeling sick all the time…She would get up and vomit in the morning.”
“The first thing she would do in the morning was have a drink of Coke and the last thing she would do in the day was have a drink of Coke by her bed.”
New Zealand coroner David Crerar concluded that Coca-Cola addiction and combined with poor nutrition was the main culprit for Harris’s death from cardiac arrhythmia.
“I found that, when all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died.”
Mother Vivian Harris said her daughter would suffer from “the shakes” and “withdrawal symptoms” if her Cola was not available.
Coca-Cola have spoken out in a statement: “The Coroner acknowledged that he could not be certain what caused Ms Harris’ heart attack.”
“Therefore we are disappointed that the Coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms Harris’ excessive consumption of Coca-Cola, together with other health and lifestyle factors, as the probable cause of her death. This is contrary to the evidence that showed the experts could not agree on the most likely cause.”
Video: An interview with Natasha Harris’s partner Christopher Hodgkinson via stuff.co.nz
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