Bloating, gas and irritability: What happens to your body if you drink 12 cans of Diet Coke a day?

Donald Trump drinks 12 cans of Diet Coke a day, according to reports which offer a glimpse into the private life of the US president.

The most powerful man in the world is also said to watch eight hours of TV apart from his drinking habits, according to the New York Times. To compile an hour-by-hour insight into Mr Trump's day, the newspaper spoke to 60 advisers, friends and members of Congress. So what exactly would that amount of caffeine do to a person's body?

While Diet Coke is sugar-free, it does contain 42mg of caffeine per can. 12 cans would therefore amount to around 500mg. That compares to around 120mg in the average cup of filter coffee, 75mg in instant granules, and 107mg in an espresso.

The average adult can safely consume up to 400mg of caffeine, although this isn't recommended for those who are sensitive to the substance or who take certain types of medication, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Consuming 12 cans, then, would likely cause a person to become addicted to caffeine. They could also experience symptoms including headaches, insomnia (which might explain Mr Trump's 3am tweets), irritability, and restlessness.

"That amount of anything is potentially harmful for anybody," Aisling Pigott, a paediatric dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association told IBTimes UK.

"Twelve cans is equal to 500mg of caffeine a day, a large amount of artificial sweeteners and lots of gas," she adds.

"Potential symptoms would include bloating, gas, bowel issues - such as loose stools - and poor absorption of vitamins and minerals if consumed with meals."

"People do indeed become addicted to caffeine very rapidly, and they also withdraw from caffeine very rapidly," Dr Harris Stratyner, an addiction specialist at Mount Sinai Medical Center, told ABC News. "It can make their sleep patterns disturbed. It can make them restless, tired, anxious."

The amount of acid in all types of soda, whether diet or otherwise, is also a health concern for bone health.

"Twelve cans a day, diet or regular, it's potentially going to do damage to your skeleton, and eventually that can be a very serious problem," Dr David Katz, a nutrition expert at the Yale School of Medicine, told ABC News.

As for the harm caused by watching TV for eight hours a day - which Donald Trump is also rumoured to do - the effects differ depending on whether a person sat for the entirety, or had it on in the background while running on a treadmill. Many studies show that sitting excessively can raise the risk of premature death.

If the US President sat for more than 3.5 of those hours he could raise the chance of dying from a common cause of mortality - such as heart disease or cancer - by 15% according to a 2015 study at the National Cancer Institute in Michigan, the Daily Mail reported.

IBTimes UK has approached Coca-Cola for a comment.