A Kaohsiung man was temporarily paralyzed following the rapid consumption of sugary drinks, which led to a spike in his insulin levels and a subsequent drop in potassium levels that caused severe muscle weakness, according to a report in the Chinese-language Apple Daily on Sunday.
The man, in his 30s and physically fit without a history of chronic disease, drank several cans of cola then ate some sweet snacks on an empty stomach following a workout. He took a nap, and was unable to move when he woke up three hours later, so he was immediately rushed to hospital, Yuan General Hospital nephrologist Chi Wen-che (紀文哲) was quoted as saying.
The concentration of potassium in the patient’s blood was 1.5 milliequivalents per liter (meq/L), much lower than the normal levels of between 3.5 and 5meq/L, Chi said.
The man’s rapid consumption of a large quantity of sugary drinks led to the overproduction of insulin, resulting in a sudden shift of potassium from the bloodstream into muscle cells, causing his muscles to become weak to the point of paralysis, Chi said, adding that the patient might have developed respiratory depression and eventually died if he had not received prompt treatment.
The patient fully recovered after receiving supplementary potassium during three days of hospitalization, Chi said.
Sugary drinks cannot replace water, he said, adding that food or drink consumed on an empty stomach is absorbed more quickly.
Chi described a similar case in which a female patient with kidney disease nearly died of cardiac arrhythmia induced by hyperkalemia — a condition in which potassium concentration in the blood is too high — after having drunk too much potassium-rich green tea.
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital toxicologist Yen Tsung-hai (顏宗海) was quoted as saying in the report that it is vital to drink two liters of water per day in the summer.
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