There is no evidence to show that consumption of soft drinks immediately after eating a mango is fatal to the body - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 6, 2022
A newspaper clipping that says consumption of a cool drink immediately after eating a mango causes death, is being widely shared through a post. The clipping states that people travelling to Chandigarh who had taken a cool drink immediately after eating a mango had died. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Consuming a cool drink immediately after eating a mango causes death.
Fact: We could not find any evidence about such an incident in Chandigarh where people died after consuming cool drink immediately after eating a mango. Citric acid in a mango and carbonic acid in a carbonated drink generally do not react in a solution because they are weak acids with similar dissociation constants. Experts believe that consuming a mango together with a carbonated drink is not fatal, but it increases sugar and acidity levels in the body which is not advisable for a healthy living. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched about the incident of people dying in Chandigarh after consuming a cool drink immediately after eating a mango, we could not find any credible information online. We could not find any articles or news reports which confirm that such an incident took place in Chandigarh.
Organic acids like malic and citric acids are present in mango, which are the major reasons for the fruit acidity of a mango. However, the citric acid content in lemons is much higher than in mango. Carbonated drinks contain carbonic acid (dissolves in water, breaking into hydrogen and carbonate in a sealed container) which is decomposed when the bottle is opened.
A weak acid is an acid that partially dissociates into its ions in water or an aqueous solution. Citric and Carbonic acids are two such weak acids. Generally, two weak acids with similar dissociation constants will co-exist in a solution without much interaction. They have similar dissociation constants in water. Dissociation constants describe the reaction ability or affinity.
Vishwas News had reached out to the National Executive Committee member of India Dietetic Association (IDA) Nazneen Hussain about the same viral claim. To which, she said that the claim was false. However, mangoes and soft drinks are high in sugar content, consuming both will increase sugar levels and acidity in the body.
To sum it up, there is no evidence to show that consumption of soft drinks immediately after eating a mango is fatal to the body.