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  • 2022-07-05 (xsd:date)
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  • Thai social media users share misleading 'natural cure for gallstones' (en)
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  • Thai-language Facebook posts shared hundreds of times claim that eating yoghurt, honey and lime as well as drinking at least three litres of water a day can heal gallstones. However, multiple health experts told AFP that while eating a healthy, high-fibre diet may prevent a person from developing gallstones, surgery is usually required to remove existing ones. The claim was shared here on Facebook on June 9. The post translates to English as: Gallstones are caused by eating a lot of greasy food, and not drinking enough water. Let nature heal [you] by eating yoghurt, honey and lime and drinking a lot of water, at least three litres a day. Stop eating greasy food. Gallstones will be treated on their own. Let's try it and see if it's cured. There is nothing to lose. The accompanying photo of a gallbladder was taken from this blog article about gallstones. Warning Show Screenshot of the misleading post captured on June 30, 2022 Hide An identical claim was also shared on Facebook here and here . Although health experts told AFP a poor diet can cause gallstones, they warned that eating healthily cannot cure or treat them. 'Not a cure' Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre, a government-run platform within the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, debunked the claim on June 18, citing an investigation by Bangkok's Rajavithi Hospital. The article, which includes a screenshot of the same image shared in the misleading posts, reads in part: Foods that reduce the formation of gallstones are low in fat and high in fibre, which is beneficial to the body as a whole. But they have no effect on the loosening of gallstones in any way. Narttaya Ungkanavi, a nutritionist at the Thai Ministry of Public Health's Bureau of Nutrition , also told AFP: Yoghurt, honey, and lime are healthy but they don't have any effect on dissolving the stones in the gallbladder. [Gallstones] won't go away by just eating a certain food. Narttaya said eating low-cholesterol foods may reduce the risk of developing gallstones. You can decrease the risk of developing gallstones by eating low-cholesterol food such as lean meat or chicken, beans, vegetables, fruits, and cereals, she said. Santi Lokejaroenlarb, a surgeon at Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, told AFP that surgery is generally required to remove gallstones, and they cannot be treated with a healthy diet. There is no medical evidence to support that eating any sort of food will treat gallstones, he said. Santi added that whilst drinking plenty of water is essential for maintaining good health, it does not help to cure gallstones. Advice published by the UK's National Health Service here states in part: A healthy diet won't cure gallstones or completely eliminate your symptoms, but it can improve your general health and help control pain caused by gallstones. (en)
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