Eating Shrimp / Prawn with Vitamin C can Kill via Arsenic poisoning: Fake or Real?

I've just received a message on my social media account claiming that Vitamin C should not be taken with too much shrimp or prawn since it can lead to arsenic poisoning which can kill a person overnight. I was concerned because Vitamin C is supposed to be healthy and shrimps don't sound deadly, unless you're allergic to it.

Shrimp and Vitamin C duo. Does this sound like the kind of combo that kills?

So, I did some research. Lo and behold it's fake health news!

Eating Shrimp / Prawn with Vitamin C can Kill via Arsenic poisoning: Fake or Real?
photo credit: @srilanka Sri Lanka @unsplash

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan

Is there arsenic in shrimp or prawn?

Yes there is,

Seafoods contain a form of arsenic called arsenobetaine, however, this should not be a cause of alarm, since it is considered as non-toxic to humans.

Humans are not able to metabolize arsenobetine so we eliminate it from out body as it is.

How about if Shrimp is taken with Vitamin C?

The only facts we can gather regarding this matter is a study done in 1985 by the University of Illinois claiming that when large dose of Vitamin C is combined with shrimp or prawn, it's harmless content "pentavalent" compound transforms into highly toxic trivalent arsenic.

And even with that finding, they did not associate taking large dose of Vitamin C and seafood with sudden death. In fact, they associate taking mega dose Vitamin C and too much shrimp with an increased risk of developing cancer.

Since 1985, we are left hanging with Baker's words. "We now must wonder whether megadosing with vitamin C increases the risk of cancer by changing the form of arsenic in food."

Can megadose of vitamin c combined with lots of seafood intake cause cancer?

Now, the revelation of this 1985 research, although a very long time ago, is not a reassuring one. Although it doesn't say anywhere in this research that high doses of Vitamin C combined with seafood intake can be fatal overnight, it does raises a serious concern: Can mega doses of Vitamin C coupled with high amount of seafood intake cause cancer?

Unfortunately, further research is still needed to shed light in this topic.

The use of arsenic and vitamin c in cancer treatment

Arsenic is a toxic substance, but surprisingly, it is used for it's medicinal property for over 2 millennia.

Arsenic trioxide, it's highly toxic form, is used in leukemia treatment for it's ability to induce cancer cells to self destruct.

Studies shows that adding vitamin c to arsenic trioxide in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia potentiates it's cell destructive effect.

Several research has also tackled the efficacy of taking mega doses of vitamin c in conjunction to conventional cancer treatment.

Signs and symptoms of arsenic poisoning

Symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning includes:

headache
confusion
dizziness
decrease in level of consciousness
diarrhea
nausea
vomiting
abdominal pain
hemolysis of red blood cells

Arsenic poisoning can ultimately lead to seizure, shock, coma, and death.

Chronic exposure to arsenic can lead to the development of cancer, liver problems, and kidney problems.

Noticeable signs of chronic arsenic exposure includes changes in the color of the skin, formation of hard bumps on the palm of the hands and soles of the feet , and appearance of whitish Mee's lines in the fingernails.

The circulating health news about eating too much shrimp or prawn combined with daily Vitamin C intake supposedly lethal overnight is an exaggeration that is meant to scare people.

When is there a real risk of arsenic poisoning?

Arsenic is a naturally occurring toxin that can be found in the soil, rocks, and water in certain geographic locations. Arsenic poisoning is most commonly caused by drinking contaminated unfiltered water.

Arsenic can be an ingredient in pesticide, thus increasing the risk of agricultural workers. People involved in mining work are also at higher risk of arsenic poisoning.

Not all information circulating online are true.

The hoax health advice has been circulating in the internet courtesy of people who don't verify facts before sharing to their love ones. Here's a copy of the message:

A woman suddenly died unexpectedly with signs of bleeding from her ears, nose, mouth & eyes. After a preliminary autopsy it was diagnosed that death was due to arsenic poisoning. Where did the arsenic come from? The police launched an in-depth and extensive investigation. A medical school professor was invited to come to solve the case. The professor carefully looked at the contents. In less than half an hour, the mystery was solved. The professor said: 'The deceased did not commit suicide and neither was she murdered, she died of accidental death due to ignorance!' Everyone was puzzled, why accidental death?

The professor said: 'The arsenic was produced in the stomach of the deceased.' The deceased used to take 'Vitamin C' everyday, which in itself is not a problem. The problem was that she ate a large portion of shrimp/prawn during dinner. Eating shrimp/prawn is not the problem that's why nothing happened to her family even though they had the same shrimp/prawn.

However at the same time the decease also took 'vitamin C', that is where the problem was! Researchers at the University of Chicago in the United States , found through experiments, food such as soft-shell contain much higher concentration of five potassium arsenic compounds. Such fresh food by itself has no toxic effects on the human body. However, in taking 'vitamin C', chemical reaction occurs and the original non-toxic elements change to toxic elements.

Arsenic poisoning has magma role and can cause paralysis to the small blood vessels. Therefore, a person who dies of arsenic poisoning will show signs of bleeding from the ears, nose, mouth & eyes. Thus as a precautionary measure,

DO NOT eat shrimp/prawn when taking 'vitamin C'. After reading this; please do not be stingy. It's our duty to take care of our friends.

Resources:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-08-25-8502250437-story.html