Quick Fact Check: Fake Post Claiming That Drinking Cold Water After Meals Causes Cancer Resurfaces

New Delhi (Vishvas News): A post has resurfaced on social media in which it has been claimed that drinking cold water after a meal can cause cancer. Vishvas News has earlier debunked this claim and found it to be fake.

Claim

A post shared on Facebook by a page named ‘Health Tips by Raghida’ reads:
“Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer! Can u believe this? For those who like to drink cold water, this applies to you. It’s nice to have a cold drink after a meal, however, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you’ve just consumed, which slows digestion. Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer.. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.” The archived version of the post can be read here.

Investigation

We started its investigation by visiting the official website of National Cancer Institute. We did not find any report citing any connection between the drinking of cold water and cancer. If the information was true, it would have been well documented in medical establishments.

As per US National Institute of Health, chilled liquids do not solidify ingested fats when the two meet in the stomach. The cold water you consume after food will eventually turn to the body’s internal temperature.

The complete fact check can be read here.

We also spoke to Dr. Manish Singhal who is an oncologist with Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. He said: There is no link between cold water and cancer. The cold water you consume after food will eventually turn to body’s internal temperature very similarly what should happen to it if you keep a cold or warm glass of water outside in ambient temperature. The stomach muscles mix the food and liquid with digestive juices. The stomach slowly empties its contents to small intestine.

The post has been shared on Facebook by a page named Health Tips By Raghida. When we scanned the profile of the page we found that the page has 193 followers.