BOSTON (AP) — In a medical case that sounds more like a soft drink commercial than a treatment plan, doctors successfully treated a woman’s stomach condition by prescribing large quantities of Diet Coke.
The unusual case involved an elderly woman who developed a bezoar, a hardened mass of partially digested material that can form in the stomach and cause pain, nausea and digestive problems.
According to reports, the woman had lost significant weight over the course of a year but continued experiencing stomach discomfort. Doctors eventually discovered the bezoar during an examination and began looking for a way to eliminate it without surgery.
That’s when one of medicine’s more unconventional remedies entered the picture.
Instead of scheduling an operation, physicians recommended that the woman drink large amounts of carbonated cola beverages. Because the patient was diabetic, doctors opted for Diet Coke rather than the sugar-laden version.
The treatment worked.
Medical experts have long known that cola products can sometimes help break down certain stomach masses, although exactly why remains something of a mystery. Researchers have suggested that the beverage’s acidity, carbonation or a combination of the two may help dissolve the material.
In this case, the woman consumed approximately one and a half liters of Diet Coke as part of the treatment. Follow-up examinations showed the troublesome mass had broken down, allowing her to avoid surgery.
The case has drawn attention because it highlights one of the stranger corners of modern medicine, where highly trained physicians occasionally find themselves prescribing something more commonly associated with movie theaters, fast-food restaurants and late-night vending machines.
While experts stress that people should not attempt to self-treat medical conditions with soft drinks, the report serves as a reminder that some surprisingly simple remedies can produce remarkable results.
For one patient, a trip to the soda aisle proved far less intimidating than a trip to the operating room.
And somewhere, a Diet Coke marketing executive is probably wondering why this success story wasn’t included in the company’s advertising campaign.
