A man who drank 44 litres of milk in two days ended up in hospital after his blood turned cloudy
Milk is rich in nutrients such as calcium, protein, magnesium, and vitamin A, and is said to be a healthy drink. However, there seems to be a limit to everything, and there has been a reported case in which a man who drank about 44 liters of milk in two days had his blood turn a cloudy white color, as if it had been mixed with milk.
Milk Intoxication—A Case Report
Diagnostic dilemma: A man ended up in the ER after drinking 6 gallons of milk in 2 days | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/health/food-diet/diagnostic-dilemma-a-man-ended-up-in-the-er-after-drinking-6-gallons-of-milk-in-2-days
One day, a 54-year-old man from Rotterdam, Netherlands, was admitted to the intensive care unit after experiencing persistent symptoms of polyuria, thirst, excessive sweating, and progressive shortness of breath.
When the man visited his family doctor two days before being admitted to hospital, it was discovered that his blood sugar level was above the standard limit for diabetes, and he was prescribed 500 mg of metformin, a diabetes medication, twice a day.
However, because symptoms such as thirst did not subside, the man drank a whopping 22 liters of milk per day for the two days before he was hospitalized, meaning he drank a total of 44 liters of milk in two days. Based on the general nutritional value of milk, this means that he ingested 1,540g of protein, 1,980g of carbohydrates, and 1,496g of fat in just two days.
When the doctor took the man's blood sample, he noticed that his blood was thinner and whitish than normal. In the photo below, the blood sample taken at the time of admission is on the left, and the blood sample taken at the time of discharge is on the right for comparison. You can see that the blood at the time of admission is whitish, as if it had been mixed with milk.
Below is a photo of the same blood after it had been centrifuged. You can see that the plasma at discharge is clear and slightly yellowish, whereas the plasma at admission is milky white, like milk.
The man's blood sugar level was abnormally high at 1,350 mg per deciliter, well above the normal range of 70 to 99 mg per deciliter. His triglyceride levels were also dramatically elevated, reaching an abnormal 16,713 mg per deciliter, compared to a normal range of 175 mg per deciliter.
Doctors determined that drinking large amounts of full-fat milk had flooded the man's circulatory system with fat and sugar, causing a sudden rise in his triglyceride levels, which in turn led to chylomicronemia syndrome , which caused intestinal pain and difficulty breathing.
In the intensive care unit, the man was given saline and insulin to lower his blood sugar levels, and because his triglyceride levels were too high and he was at risk of acute pancreatitis, he underwent two plasma exchanges over two days to bring his triglyceride levels down to acceptable levels.
After he was discharged from the hospital, the man continued to take insulin, metformin, and a cholesterol-lowering statin , and doctors suggested lifestyle changes to control his sugar intake. Six weeks later, his triglyceride levels were still above normal at 245 mg per deciliter, but he was otherwise in good health.
Regarding this case, the doctors said: 'Drinking milk is generally considered to be beneficial for health, but this case report shows that drinking large amounts of milk can have serious consequences. To our knowledge, this increase in triglyceride levels is the highest ever reported.'
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