An interesting story out of the tiny country of Monaco tells the story of what can happen to your heart from drinking too much soda pop.
This 31-year old woman had been drinking soda pop exclusively since she was 15. For 16 years, she never drank anything else, not even water! Her soda of choice was a cola, and she drank about two liters a day (about 2 quarts).
It turns out that the soda had caused an imbalance in her potassium levels, compromising the electrical activity in her body and leading to erratic heart beats.
Arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeats, can be frightening when they happen to you. You may feel like your heart is skipping beats (palpitations), or that your heart is racing. Some people become faint or light-headed and experience shortness of breath.
The heart is controlled by electrical impulses. Conducting electricity requires a certain solution of minerals including sodium, calcium, and yes, potassium, to work successfully. Nerves and the nervous system also work on electrical impulses that fire the synapses between nerve endings and carry the messages to the rest of the body.
When we forget that the human body is a complex machine that requires vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to be the catalysts and conductors of electrical, osmotic, and cellular activity, things start to malfunction, as this woman has experienced.
Many, many chronic ailments can be traced to the twin culprits of inflammation and vitamin/mineral/nutrient imbalance or deficiency. Many people can find find relief simply by removing their personal inflammatory triggers and balancing their nutritional profile. My preferred method for doing this is to go on a scientifically-designed anti-inflammatory diet and taking appropriate supplements until the gut heals enough to absorb the needed nutrition from foods.
When the woman from Monaco stopped drinking soda for just one week, her potassium levels and heartbeat returned to normal levels.
Never underestimate the power of food on your body’s functions.
