John Paul Boldrick, 19, Soy Sauce Overdose Puts Virginia Teen in Coma

A dare to drink an entire quart of soy sauce landed Virginia 19-year-old John Paul Boldrick in coma after suffering from an excess amount of salt in his body.

The near-death experience was reported by LiveScience.com after the teen’s story was published in a case report for the June 4 edition of the Journal of Emergency Medicine. According to the report, Boldrick suffered from a condition known as hypernatremia, a surprisingly common medical issue seen in those who have a strong liking to soy sauce. In this case, the teen admitted he drank a quart (0.35 lbs. of salt) of the salty condiment following a dare from a friend to do so in 2011.

According to Dr. David J. Calberg, the Washington, D.C., MedStar Georgetown University Hospital physician who originally treated Boldrick, the large content of salt entered his blood stream and deplenished a dangerous amount of water in his brain. Boldrick was treated four hours after originally ingesting the sauce, suffering from seizures and ultimately a coma.

"He didn't respond to any of the stimuli that we gave him. ... It's a sign that basically the nervous system wasn't working very well." said Dr. Calberg, who said the patient was cured of a three-day coma after a water and sugar dextrose flushing was conducted. The teen originally suffered from seizure-related residual effects but is now reportedly completely recovered.