At a glance

• Claim: Tata Memorial Center director Dr. Rajendra Badwe said that hot coconut water could kill cancer cells.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: Dr. Badwe denied making this claim. He said there was no data supporting the claim that hot coconut water had properties that could kill cancer cells.
• Why we fact-checked this: An email containing the claim was sent to Rappler for checking. The claim is also being circulated on Facebook.

Complete details

Rappler received an email with a claim that said that Dr. Rajendra A. Badwe, director of Tata Memorial Center in India, said that hot coconut water could kill cancer cells. Rappler found that the claim was also being circulated on Facebook.

This is false.

Tata Memorial Center released a statement, denying that the claim was made by Dr. Rajendra Badwe or the Tata Memorial Center. Badwe also said in the statement that there was no data to support the claim.

“There is no data to suggest that hot coconut water can provide cures for any type of cancer. Public are requested not to be misinformed by such false and harmful messages sent on social media,” Badwe said.

The claim that hot coconut water can kill cancer cells first circulated on social media in 2019. Older posts containing the claim were fact-checked by Editorji, Factly, The Asian Age, and Medical Dialogues. – Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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