Dengue: Coconut water does not cure the disease. Photo: Rachna Republic | Creation Republic.
Dengue is a viral infection that has been affecting people mainly in northern Peru for weeks. In this context, netizens assure that the solution to this disease lies in the consumption of coconut water. “The cure for dengue has arrived”, said several posts on Facebook about the drink. However, this is not true.
Coconut water does not cure dengue
To begin with, as we attested in another Verificador article, dengue does not consider a specific treatment to eliminate the virus from the body. Their intervention is based on medication against the various symptoms that the patient may experience.
We also determined that medical attention would depend on each case: The World Health Organization (WHO) presents medical indications for patients with severe dengue; with warning signs; “without warning signs, but with an associated disorder (diabetes, etc.) or social risk (pregnant, etc.)” or “which can be treated at home”, as they do not consider any type of risk Are. Infectious scientist Leslie Soto claimed to verify that treatment is individualized.
According to the Ministry of Health (Minsa), symptoms that may occur include high fever, general malaise and headache. Alarm signs (those that make it possible to recognize that immediate attention is needed) are abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, altered state of consciousness, etc. A severe version of dengue occurs when “difficulty breathing” and “severe organ complications” have already occurred.
In communication with La Repubblica’s fact-checking unit, nutritionist Sabi Mauricio, former dean of Peru’s College of Nutritionists (CNP), denied that coconut water cures dengue: “The support of such a claim There’s no evidence to back it up.” So, can its use be of any benefit to the patients of this disease? The expert stressed that it is a drink that does not cause “gastrointestinal discomfort” and that due to its liquid state and containing electrolytes, it can contribute to hydration.
The official site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which also states that “there is no medicine to treat dengue,” states that dehydration should be prevented in this condition.
According to the US health agency, a person becomes dehydrated due to “loss of body fluids due to fever, vomiting or not drinking enough fluids”.
Sebi Mauricio, however, clarified that coconut water “is not intended or designed for dengue.” “Piura has a lot of coconut water, so they can use it to hydrate people, but it is not like I have to buy coconut water to hydrate myself because of dengue. No, it doesn’t work like this. If there is, I use it because it is what I have on hand. It’s food security, you use what’s available”, explained the expert, who is director of the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at Norbert Wiener Private University.
On March 14, 2022, Minsa described the purported cure as a myth. “When a person has dengue, apart from assessment and treatment by a specialist doctor, the patient is advised to stay well hydrated. Therefore, coconut water is an excellent option to help a person’s hydration, as it contains many vitamins and minerals, but it does not cure dengue,” he said in his press release.
Furthermore, a search of studies on the purported curative effect of coconut water in Google with keywords did not reveal any evaluations to support this.
In investigation, we found a 2023 report (located in PubMed) and a 2010 WHO document (p. 19) that cite coconut water as one of the beverages that can help with hydration in the outpatient phase of the patient. can help. When the patient can be treated at home as it does not present any type of risk or warning signs.
This year’s report in its discussion section asks health professionals to explain to the public that although traditional remedies, such as coconut water, do not cause harm, “they do not provide additional benefits beyond the need for drinking fluids. ” “Doctors need to understand the factors that influence patients to consider alternative treatments. Dengue treatment is not curative, but mainly supportive (symptom relief and fluid therapy),” he said.
conclusion
Coconut water does not reduce dengue because, until the conclusion of this edition, it does not offer any specific treatment that cures sick people. There is also no scientific evidence of the said drink which indicates the treatment of this viral infection. Therefore, we classify this information as false.
If you want to know whether a publication on a social network is true or false, you can ask La Repubblica to verify the information. Send your request to the contact section or write on WhatsApp (+51 997 883 271).
