Fact-check: No, consuming mangoes with soft drinks is not deadly

There is no truth in the viral claims that drinking something aerated or carbonated after eating mangoes can lead to death, said two well-known nutritionists in Pakistan

Geo Fact-Check

Updated Thursday Jul 13 2023

A long block of text circulating on Pakistani Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp groups warns people not to drink carbonated soft drinks after eating mangoes, as it could prove to be fatal.

The claim is false.

Claim

On June 6, a social media user warned his over 6,000 followers on Twitter not to drink any fizzy beverages after eating a mango.

The post alleged that recently a few people, who were traveling, fainted after mixing the fruit with soft drinks.

“All of them were admitted to the hospital,” the user wrote, “They later died. The citric acid in mangoes and carbonic acid in cold drinks [upon reacting] produces poison in the body.”

The identical texts were shared multiple times on Facebook and on WhatsApp as well.

Fact

There is no truth in the viral claims that drinking something aerated or carbonated after eating mangoes can lead to death, said two well-known nutritionists in Pakistan.

Sana Azhar, a dietitian and nutritionist at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, responded to Geo Fact Check via the Hospital’s spokesperson.

Both citric acid and carbonic acid are weak acids, Azhar said in an audio message, adding that the reaction of the two will not be dangerous or fatal.

“There is no scientific evidence to suggest that mixing [citric with carbonic acid] produces poison,” she added.

Geo Fact Check also reached out to Faiza Kamal, a dietitian at the private Shalamar Hospital in Lahore, who is also an executive member of the Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetics Society.

“There is no strong reaction when citric acid and carbonic acid are consumed together,” Kamal said, “But we must wash mangoes properly before eating, in case there are any chemicals that have been used or are present on its skin.”