Fact Check: Does eating pani puri or golgappe help maintain blood pressure?

Hyderabad: A Facebook video showing an AI bot ‘doctor’ claiming that consuming pani puri or golgappe balances many health benefits including maintaining blood pressure.

Pani puri or golgappe is one of the most popular Indian street foods. But does it really help treat blood pressure and other health issues?

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. A normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg.”

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on your activities. Having blood pressure measures consistently above normal may result in a diagnosis of high blood pressure (or hypertension). The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for other health problems, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

We reached out to Dr S Vijay Mohan, MD, senior consultant physician, Care Hospitals, and the HoD for the Department of Internal Medicine, to debunk the claim.

He said, “Pani puri is the worst street food one can eat. It can produce many diseases due to the way it is made and served. Also, the water used to make it is mostly contaminated. When you eat pani puri outside from a bandi or a food cart, the water used gets contaminated by the unhygienic bare hands of the vendor when he or she immerses them in water. The dirty cloth he uses and his long nails with a lot of dirt underneath are the causes for the spread of a number of infections.”

“Coming to blood pressure, the watery snack contains tons of salt which can increase blood pressure. The claim calling pani puri a remedy for blood pressure is utterly false. Even a layman could tell this. For those suffering from high or low blood pressure, do not consume golgappe, believing it would have any positive effect on the BP level. These social media messages are only to fool people and gather likes and views to earn money. Don’t risk your health by believing such hoax messages. It is totally fine to consume it once in a while when it is made at home in a hygienic way with less salt,” Dr Vijay Mohan said.

We also contacted Sujatha Stephen RD, chief Nutritionist at Yashoda Hospitals to debunk the claim.

She said, “I don’t think it (pani puri) actually helps in blood pressure as it contains a lot of salt which is a potent blood pressure spiker. It’s better to avoid it for hygiene purposes as well. Don’t believe such posts. Visit your nearby health professional for further assistance to know how to control your blood pressure.”