This purported ‘India Today’ article recommending Cardioton medication for treating hypertension is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 9, 2023
A post sharing a link to a purported article published by ‘India Today’ claims that the Cardioton medicine allegedly developed by the AIIMS could clean blood vessels and cure High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) in patients. The purported article reports that 93-year-old Indian Chemist Ramchandra Bhargava Sapre, during an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today, revealed how he cured hypertension using Cardioton medicine. In the article, the chemist asserts weakening of blood vessels, bad cholesterol, blood clots, and calcium deposits as the primary causes of Hypertension and recommends people practice a 2-weeks or one-month course of Cardioton treatment to cure hypertension. The article claims that AIIMS will distribute and sell Cardiaton medicines directly and provides a digital lottery rotating system at the end of the article by asking users to rotate the lottery draw to avail of the Cardiaton medications at discounted prices. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: India Today’s article on Cardioton medication in treating hypertension.
Fact: The purported India Today article shared in the post is a fake one. Late Ramchandra Bhargava Sapre is the first national Chess Champion of India and the man in the photos shared in the article was educationist Dr Jagdish Gandhi. A few medications prescribed for high blood pressure patients control hypertension by relaxing or widening blood vessels. Cardioton is a dietary supplement which claims to improve cardiovascular strength and control blood pressure. Many detox products and medications claim to cleanse blood vessels, but there is limited or insufficient scientific evidence to support these assertions. While keeping blood vessels clear of plaque and maintaining good circulation can contribute to cardiovascular well-being, it’s not guaranteed to solely reduce hypertension. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether India Today had published any such article reporting Cardioton’s benefits in treating hypertension, we could not find any such news report on the official website or social media handles of the India Today. The URL of the article does not belong to India Today.
When we searched for further sources, we found that the photos shared in the article show Dr Jagdish Gandhi, an educationist and former member of the legislative assembly of Uttar Pradesh. Ramchandra Bhargava Sapre was the first national Chess Champion of India who passed away in 1999.
Hypertension, Causes and Treatment
Blood Pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of arteries that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the human body. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal blood pressure level (normal blood pressure is usually less than 120/80 mmHg). High blood pressure usually develops over time because of an unhealthy lifestyle, being overweight, heavy stress, not getting enough regular physical activity and others. Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, kidney diseases, and obesity can also cause high blood pressure.
People with high blood pressure are usually recommended to make lifestyle changes to lower their blood pressure. Patients are suggested to avoid smoking, manage stress, eat healthy food, keep a healthy weight, and have enough physical activity. More details about the management and prevention of High Blood Pressure can be seen here and here. Apart from lifestyle changes, doctors recommend patients use different medicines to control high blood pressure. These medications include ACE inhibitors, Calcium channel blockers, diuretics, and others.
The Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce blood pressure levels by relaxing blood vessels while the Calcium channel blockers reduce blood pressure by widening blood vessels. The human body has an in-built mechanism to control blood pressure levels by narrowing (constricting) and widening (dilating) the diameter of arteries. These mechanisms are reportedly controlled by the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.
Cardioton
Cardioton is a medication belonging to the group of cardiovascular drugs. There are multiple brands in the market using a similar name of Cardioton but offering different ingredients in their products. Cardioton products are herbal dietary supplements claimed to improve energy levels, cardiovascular strength, and blood pressure levels. A caution provided on one of the Cardioton products states, “People with cgl medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc should consult the doctor before taking this dietary supplement.” Further, the description states that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
While the product claims to improve cardiovascular strength and control blood pressure, these products are abundantly available for sale on many e-commerce sites. These Cardioton products are not developed and sold by AIIMS.
Many detox products and medications claim to cleanse blood vessels, but there is limited or insufficient scientific evidence to support these assertions. While keeping blood vessels clear of plaque and maintaining good circulation can contribute to cardiovascular well-being, it’s not guaranteed to solely reduce hypertension.
To sum it up, this purported ‘India Today’ article recommending Cardioton medication in treating hypertension is fake.