False claims about health benefits of drinking water recirculate in Myanmar

The post was published here on December 3, 2023 on Facebook.

Image

A screenshot of the false post, taken on January 29, 2024

The post recommends drinking water at specific times in the day -- such as "30 minutes before a meal" or "before taking a shower" -- to maximise its health benefits. It claims this will "stimulate internal organs" and prevent "muscle cramps and heart attack". 

Conversely, the claim says that drinking cold water during meals will cause fat and oil to "stick like clay in the stomach and intestines, making the stomach unable to digest food and eventually leading to colon cancer."

Similar false claims were also shared on Facebook here, here, and here. 

Multiple health experts told AFP there is no scientific evidence to support the claims in the posts.

AFP has also debunked similar claims here and here previously.

'No scientific evidence'

A representative from the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told AFP that drinking water at particular times of the day has no proven benefits for a person's heart, nor does it affect their blood pressure (archived link).

"There is no scientific evidence that the timing of drinking water has cardiovascular effects," the representative said in an email on January 24, 2024.

In response to the false claim, Anthony C. Leachon, a cardiologist at Manila Doctors Hospital, said: "The claims are not true and not science-based. We should not believe the assertions so we will not confuse the unsuspecting public."

Cancer claim

Megan Varlow, director of Cancer Control Policy at the Cancer Council Australia told AFP there was no evidence that drinking cold water would result in a person developing cancer (archived link).

"When cold beverages are consumed, the liquid quickly warms to body temperature and has no adverse effect on the way the body digests food", Varlow said in an email on January 24.

The Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the US CDC told AFP on January 24 that it "is not aware of any scientific evidence to support these cancer claims" (archived link).