Fact Check: Alkaline food cannot cure Covid-19 virus, viral image showing false pH values
Covid cases in India have been rising over the past few weeks. Kerala tops the list of Covid cases with 430 active case
Claim :
Viral image shows an advisory that suggests consuming foods with high pH can protect us from CovidFact :
Consuming alkaline food cannot kill the Covid-19 virus; the pH values are stated incorrectly in the advisory
Covid cases in India have been rising over the past few weeks. Kerala tops the list of Covid cases with 430 active cases, followed by Maharashtra and Delhi. As of May 29, 2025, more than 1000 Covid cases have been recorded in India. A 40-year-old man from Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, was the first to die from Covid. Across states, health authorities maintain that while case numbers are rising, the clinical severity remains low. Most patients experience mild symptoms like fever, fatigue, and sore throat. Still, experts emphasise the need for ongoing surveillance, responsible behaviour, and protection of vulnerable groups, especially as the virus continues to evolve.
India is witnessing the rise in the variant NB.1.8.1 and LF.7 variants. The most common symptoms of another variant JN.1 are fever or chills, dry cough, sore throat, fatigue, headache, runny or blocked nose, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. These symptoms usually appear 2-14 days after exposure. Health experts emphasize mild symptoms and advise against panic while urging strict hygiene practices.
Meanwhile, an image showing a message “Pass it on!” that have instructions to beat Covid-19 infection is going viral on social media. The advisory goes on as “Pass it on! Information for everyone: COVID-19 is immune to organisms with a pH greater than 5.5. we need to consume more food to help us increase the level of pH to fight the virus. Some of which are: Lemon – 9.9pH, Avocado – 15.6pH, Garlic – 1.2 pH, Mango – 8.7pH, Tangerine – 8.0pH, Pineapple – 12.7pH, Orange – 9.2 pH. Do not save this information just for you. Pass it on to all your family and friends. Take care and God bless you.’
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The pH value tells you if something is an acid, a base, or neutral.
- A pH of 0 indicates a high level of acidity.
- A pH of 7 is neutral.
- A pH of 14 is the most basic, or alkaline.
The pH values listed in the advisory are wrong; lemon, tangerine, orange etc are all acidic in nature, not alkaline. Lemons are acidic fruits with a pH value of around 2-3 and not 9.9 pH. Mango, tangerine, pineapple, and orange are all acidic fruits with pH values lower pH.
Here is the list of fruits and their pH from Clemson University: lemon juice (pH: 2.00–2.60)
- Limes (pH: 2.00–2.80)
- blue plums (pH: 2.80–3.40)
- grapes (pH: 2.90–3.82)
- pomegranates (pH: 2.93–3.20)
- grapefruits (pH: 3.00–3.75)
- blueberries (pH: 3.12–3.33)
- pineapples (pH: 3.20–4.00)
- apples (pH: 3.30–4.00)
- peaches (pH: 3.30–4.05)
- oranges (pH: 3.69–4.34)
- tomatoes (pH: 4.30–4.90)
Generally, citrus fruits have a low pH, meaning they are acidic. It’s important to remember that fruit juices are acidic too.
When we searched for the pH of avocado, we found that its pH is 6.7 to 7.1, and the pH of garlic is 6.06 to 6.47, and not 15.6 and 13.2 as written on the viral advisory.
The claim that consumption of alkaline foods can resist Covid was also viral in the year 2020 and is seen again on social media now as the Covid-19 cases are surging. Several fact-checking organisations debunked this claim, citing expert advice.
According to AAP fact check, Covid is not affected by eating acidic or alkaline food. Resilience and susceptibility to infection do not depend on the pH of the food we eat. It also states that the meme lists various foods claimed to be highly alkaline. However, the pH values listed alongside the foods are all wrong.
AP news debunked the claim, stating that according to experts on infectious disease and vaccinology, “The COVID virus itself does not have any pH; pH is something that applies to a water-based solution, which a virus is not. Eating a healthy and balanced diet supports immunity and can be helpful for fighting off infections. However, there is no evidence that consuming alkaline foods specifically is beneficial. “
Therefore, the claim that eating alkaline foods can prevent Covid-19 is False.
