Old hoax stating 'combining mango with cold drink is fatal' resurfaces

Context

A WhatsApp forward claiming that consumption of an aerated drink after eating mangoes leads to death is viral once again. The message alleges that a few people fell unconscious immediately after consuming the two in succession, and were declared dead on reaching the hospital. The post also claims that doctors asserted not to consume this combination as the mango's citric acid and a soda's carbonic acid makes for a deadly reaction in the stomach. 

In Fact

Logically Facts couldn’t find any reliable study supporting the claim online.

To check whether there is new information on the subject, we reached out to Dr. Govind Nandakumar, surgical gastroenterologist at Manipal Hospitals, Bangalore and adjunct faculty at Weil Cornell Medical Center, New York.

He said the claim is not true and added, "Consumption of mango and an aerated drink together isn’t fatal, but may make you uneasy because mangoes have a high glycemic index and it is quite common to feel full after eating mangoes. This may exaggerate on having a soda after."

"There is no risk to life or detrimental impact on health as suggested by some forwards," Nandakumar said. "Often patients and families follow incorrect advice that could create unnecessary anxiety and panic. Always check the source of information and the authenticity of the content. While social media has done wonders for communication, the veracity of information shared needs to be checked."

We also came across fact-checks by The Quint and Bangalore Mirror debunking this claim from 2019 and 2017 respectively. 

Why do some claims resurface?

Certain claims, which may have a direct impact on an individual and is related to an event or date, often reappear. They evoke an emotion which could be negative (fear, anger) or positive (joy). These are known as zombie claims.

Studies have highlighted various reasons behind people believing in misinformation, which includes confirmation bias. However, a study published by PubMed states, "the impact of emotion on misinformation processing has been studied in the context of politics, less is known about the role emotions play when it comes to health misinformation – even though health topics can generate strong emotions, including fear and anxiety." 

The Verdict

Multiple fact-checking organizations debunked this misinformation. This year, the hoax went viral on social media platforms once again, but is false.