Bottles of Coca-Cola are pictured at a supermarket. File/ AFP

Gulf Today Report

A Chinese man, 21, died after guzzling 1.5 litre of Coca-Cola in 10 minutes to help cool off in hot weather, Chinese doctors revealed.

According to paramedics, the man’s rapid consumption led to a fatal gas buildup in his body, which starved his liver of oxygen and eventually led to his death.

The man, who was not identified, started experiencing a swollen stomach and severe pain six hours later, which prompted him to visit the Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing, according to the Daily Mail.

The tests carried out revealed that the patient, who had no underlying health issues, had an elevated heart rate, low blood pressure and rapid breathing. CT scans found he had pneumatosis, an abnormal presence of gas, in the wall of his intestine and his portal vein.  

The arrows added to the CT scan indicate where pneumatosis, an abnormal presence of gas in the body, is occurring in the portal vein.

This, in turn, had reportedly caused him to suffer a hepatic ischemia, otherwise known as ‘shock liver,’ which is caused by a lack of oxygen to the organ.

Professor Nathan Davies, a biochemist at University College London, told the Daily Mail that the chances of downing 1.5 liters, or a little over three pints, of a normal soft drink would be fatal would be very, very unlikely, I mean unbelievably improbable.

The professor speculated the blame could be a bacterial infection, a known cause of gas build-up inside, rather than the soft drink.

Davies explained that these bacteria can form gas pockets, causing problems similar to those encountered by humans before his death.