A 70-year-old man has baffled medics in Brazil after claiming that he has drunk nothing but Coca-Cola for 50 years.
Roberto Pedreira, who could pass for 20 years younger, says he has not swallowed a drop of water since he was a young man.
Even when he was in hospital with COVID-19, he gave doctors and nurses strict written instructions that he even wanted to swallow his pills with a glass of cola.
One clip of Roberto in his local coffee bar in the state of Bahia, which has gone viral with millions of views shows him tucking into his favourite snack.
Roberto delightedly pours a can of Coke all over the ice cream and begins lapping it up with a spoon.
He told local media: “I haven’t drunk water in 50 years. I don’t like water.
“All the doctors I go to recommend water, but I went head to head with my cardiologist and my endocrinologist.
“Even my medicine, I take it with coke. Nothing with water, not a drop.”
He said he preferred Coke Zero, which was introduced first in 2005, and before that had drunk regular Coke.
Roberto’s 27-year-old godson Joao Victor Paixao said: “It might seem to someone who desn’t know him like it isn’t true, and it is pretty unbelievable.
“But for as long as I can remember, he only drinks soda, even with ice cream.”
His family confirms that despite his diet he shrugged off COVID and has never been seriously ill.
Godson Victor said: “He simply prefers to drink soda, but he takes care of himself. He goes to all the doctors, he takes all the medications.
“It’s just this issue of drinking that doesn’t really change.”
Nutritionist Greice Furlanetto Arraes warned in local media that soft drinks should never become a substitute for plain water.
She said: “Soda does not replace water, neither conventional soft drinks nor zero sugar soft drinks.
“Conventional soft drinks are rich in sugar and additives, have a high caloric content and contribute to weight gain, and consequently increased plasma glucose levels, increasing the risk of diabetes and other chronic non-communicable diseases.”
