Multiple Facebook posts have shared a claim that bean sprouts are a "cure" for dementia. The claim is false: a health expert at South Korea's Central Dementia Center told AFP bean sprouts are not proven to be a cure for dementia; sprouts are also not recognised as safe and effective for treating dementia, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The claim was shared here on Facebook on March 4, 2021.
Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on April 8, 2021. "Dementia is caused by acidified blood and toxic elements in the blood. Since bean sprouts are alkaline foods, they can help the body remove toxic elements in the blood and cure dementia," reads the Korean-language claim in part.
The lengthy post also contains claims about how to cook bean sprouts to benefit from them and how they can improve stomach ache and the function of the intestine.
The identical claim has been shared on Facebook here, here and here.
The claim that bean sprouts can cure dementia is false.
Damages to overall brain function, neurodegenerative disorders and blood circulation disorders are the major cause for dementia, and they cause different types of dementia such as vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to Seoul-based Asan Medical Center.
An official at South Korea's Central Dementia Center said treatment and medication vary depending on the type of dementia and single food or medicine cannot cure them.
"Bean sprouts are scientifically not proven to be a cure for dementia," the official told AFP over a phone interview on April 7, 2021.
The US Oregon Public Health Division also noted here in November 2020 that "while many sprouts enthusiasts claim they are good for treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing diseases such as autism, Alzheimer's cancer, dementia, diabetes and others, advertising product with such benefits is illegal".
"The FDA has determined that sprouts are not recognized as safe and effective for these uses. Overall, the only valid claims about sprouts can state the nutrients provided by them and not what medicinal value these nutrients may have until the FDA verifies it, which has not yet occurred," the division added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
