A Chinese man allegedly died of a fatal gas buildup after chugging a massive amount of Coca-Cola in 10 minutes. The freak accident was detailed in the journal “Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology.”

The fizzy fiasco occurred after the 22-year-old patient rapidly downed a 1.5-liter bottle of Coke to stay hydrated during the hot weather, the Daily Mail reported.

Six hours later, he started experiencing a swollen stomach and severe pain, which prompted him to report to Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing.

There, tests revealed that the patient — who wasn’t believed to possess any underlying health issues — had an elevated heart rate, low blood pressure and rapid breathing. Doctors also conducted a CT scan, which revealed that the soda drinker had aberrant levels in his intestinal wall and portal vein that provides blood to the liver.

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, per the report.

At that point, the medical staff tried to save the besieged fellow by releasing the gas from his digestive system. They also administered medication to help safeguard his liver and other body parts from further damage, the Daily Mail reported.

Despite doctors efforts, the man’s condition continued to worsen until he passed away 18 hours after treatment.  

However, some medical experts believed it highly improbable that the man died from a Coca-Cola overdose.

“The chances of downing 1.5 litres, or a little over three pints, of a regular soft drink being fatal would be very, very unlikely, I mean, staggeringly unlikely,” Professor Nathan Davies, a biochemist at University College London, told MailOnline.

Instead, he feels that the man’s passing could’ve been due to a bacterial infection. These bacteria could’ve formed a pocket of gas in the intestinal wall, which then leaked into other parts of the body, such as the portal vein, according to Davies.

The chemistry professor added that while the soft drink could’ve contributed to the problem, it likely wasn’t the prevailing factor in his passing.

“It’s possible, but not necessary that likely, that drinking a large amount of carbonated drink could have had an exacerbating affect,” he said. “But with no underlying condition it is very hard to see what could have happened.”

Davies added that more info was needed before he drew conclusions regarding the man’s cause of death.

Indeed, experts agree that soda-induced health problems are generally more minor and long-term. Nonetheless, the US Framingham Heart Study found that consuming just one can of pop per day has been associated with myriad problems including obesity, increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart attack, stroke, poor memory, smaller brain volume and even dementia.

Last June, medical examiners ruled that a New Zealand woman with a 2-gallon-a-day Coca-Cola habit may have died from complications linked to her excessive caffeine consumption.

Per: NYP