Oncologists dismiss claims of hot pineapple water recommended as 'cancer cure'

"Defeated cancer, pineapple hot water. Hot pineapple water protects your life. Hot pineapple water destroys cancer cells. Put thinly-sliced  two to three pieces of pineapple into a cup and pour hot water. Drink it daily," read part of the Sinhala-language caption in a post shared on Facebook on September 2.  

The post includes the photo of a pineapple farm.

"Dr Gilbert A Kwok of the ICBS hospital has urgently said that if everyone can share 10 copies of this message, at least one life can be saved," the caption further said.

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on November 12

The posts circulated online as Sri Lanka elected leftist Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its new president in September 2024, years after grappling with bankruptcy (archived link).

The South Asian island-nation has run out of dollars to procure vital imports of food and fuel in 2022, triggering weeks of demonstrations that led to the ouster of strongman president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 

But it is in the health sector that the consequences of the crisis were most visceral (archived link). 

Similar claims were shared elsewhere on Facebook here and here. 

The same claim was also shared on instant messaging platform WhatsApp in Sinhala language on October 15, 2024.

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Screenshot of the false claim shared on WhatsApp

"No evidence"

"There is no evidence to support any of these claims," Dr Sanjeeva Gunasekara from the National Cancer Institute of Sri Lanka told AFP on November 10, 2024 (archived link).                                      

"Pineapple will kill cancer cell, drinking hot water with pineapple has added benefit, pineapples cure cancer ... dissemination of such claims can mislead general public to not seeking proven therapy which can render curable cancers incurable," he added. 

An oncologist previously told AFP that while pineapples contain compounds that have numerous health benefits, there is not enough evidence to show that the fruit would be an effective cancer treatment.

"Like other fruits -- including apples and avocados, among others -- pineapples are healthy. They are fruits that can support general health and immunity. No more than that," chairman of the Indonesian Cancer Foundation Professor Dr Aru Wisaksono Sudoyo told AFP on August 6, 2021 (archived link). 

While consuming pineapple and other healthy fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of cancer, it is important to note that they are not equivalent to medical treatments or therapies for the disease, he added.

AFP also checked the list of registered public and private medical institutions in Sri Lanka and found no "ICBS Hospital" (archived links here and here).   

A keyword search also found no official reports about a "Dr Gilbert A Kwok". 

A newsletter from India-based St. Johns Hospital in April 2024 debunked the same claim here (archived link). 

AFP has repeatedly debunked misinformation about cancer cures here and here (archived links here and here).