Sweet-toothed Scot addicted to IRN BRU has quadruple heart bypass after drinking eight litres a DAY

Irn Bru obsessive Andrew McSherry had to halve his intake of the famous Scottish fizzy drink - after sinking so much he needed a quadruple heart bypass.

Sweet-toothed Andrew McSherry, 52, nearly died from heart disease after spending 20 years - and an estimated £35,000 - guzzling up to eight litres a day.

He was downing the equivalent of 150 teaspoons of sugar a day - more than two bags a week - which caused problems with his arteries.

After life-saving surgery, Andrew briefly gave up his favourite tipple before giving in, this time to the sugar-free diet version.

Dad-of-three Andrew revealed he has cut down to four litres a day, to the annoyance of wife Margaret, 46.

Andrew, from Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, said:  ‘I did give up for a few months but I just couldn't live without Irn-Bru.

‘I shouldn't drink it. The doctors have told me not to, but I just can't help it.

‘My wife is always moaning at me but there are worse things to be addicted to.  I don't drink alcohol, for instance.  Mind you I don't drink any water either.’

Andrew was so dependent he would suffer withdrawal symptoms if he didn't down a two-litre bottle during the night - and still tops himself up now.

[Addicted to ketchup: Student, 19, eats her own weight in red sauce every year]

He was taking in 2,400 calories per day - the recommended healthy amount for a man - just from the drink alone.

The former labourer said he was also eating three meals a day but maintained a normal weight despite his sugar-heavy diet.

[Scottish MEPs Threaten to Ban Justin Bieber From Europe in Irn Bru Row]

‘I always have a two-litre bottle by my bedside because I need to top up the levels through the night,' he added.

‘I have my first proper drink when I wake up at 6.30am - then I just carrying on drinking throughout the day.

‘I'm amazed I haven't turned orange.  I can't remember how long I've been drinking it - years and years.

‘Even when I was younger and I was going to the pub I'd only drink Irn-Bru - about seven or eight cans a night.

[Diet Coke addict suffers hallucinations after drinking up to 50 cans a day]

‘But when I started drinking it again I thought I need to be careful, so I switched to Diet Irn-Bru.  At least that's cutting out the sugar.’

The diet version of Irn-Bru contains around 423 calories a litre - meaning Andrew still gets nearly 1,700 from the drink each day.

MORE WEIRD ADDICTIONS:

His Irn-Bru habit was featured in the 2012 BBC Scotland series 'Addicted to Pleasure', hosted by actor Brian Cox.

A spokeswoman for Irn-Bru manufacturers A. G. Barr said yesterday:  ‘Irn-Bru can be enjoyed in regular and sugar-free variants as part of a balanced diet and a healthy, active lifestyle.

‘Millions of people have enjoyed Inr-Bru this way for generations. We would never advocate the over-consumption of any one product.’