Pre-verification Checklist

I. List of Items to Verify

1. Eating a couple bananas and then drinking a liter of sprite will make you puke

II. Elaboration of Items to Verify

Item 1: Eating a couple bananas and then drinking a liter of sprite will make you puke

• Reason:
  1. This is a specific physiological claim about a food combination that is widely circulated online. Its veracity needs to be confirmed with scientific and medical evidence to distinguish fact from an urban myth or internet challenge.
• Key facts to ascertain:
  1. Is there a specific chemical or physical reaction between the components of bananas and Sprite that reliably induces vomiting?
  2. Can the rapid consumption of the specified volume (e.g., two bananas and one liter of a carbonated beverage) alone cause gastric distension and vomiting, regardless of the specific food and drink?
  3. What is the consensus from medical professionals, dietitians, or scientific literature regarding this claim?
• Required sources:
  1. Scientific journals (chemistry, biology, gastroenterology).
  2. Reputable health organizations and medical information websites.
  3. Statements or articles from registered dietitians or medical doctors.
• Priority: High

Action Plan

1. Conduct a web search for scientific or chemical explanations of the purported reaction between bananas and carbonated drinks like Sprite.
2. Research the physiological effects of rapid gastric distension caused by consuming a large volume of food and carbonated liquid in a short period.
3. Search for articles, expert opinions, or Q&A sections on authoritative health and medical websites to find professional assessments of this claim.
4. Investigate the origin and context of the "banana and sprite challenge" on social media and video platforms to understand how the claim is presented and what outcomes are anecdotally reported, treating this as low-credibility contextual information.
5. Synthesize the findings from scientific, medical, and anecdotal sources to determine whether the claim is supported by evidence or is more likely a myth based on the physical discomfort of overconsumption.

I'll investigate whether eating bananas followed by drinking Sprite causes vomiting, looking at the scientific explanation behind this claim.

I need to gather more information about this claim, particularly from medical or scientific sources. Let me check if there's more detailed information from the Medium article.

Let me check if there are any medical or scientific perspectives on this claim from more authoritative sources.

Verified Conclusions List

Item 1: Eating a couple bananas and then drinking a liter of sprite will make you puke

• Preliminary conclusion: This is plausible, but not due to a unique chemical reaction. The primary cause is the rapid consumption of a large volume of food and liquid (two bananas and one liter of a carbonated drink) that exceeds the stomach's typical capacity, causing gastric distension and triggering a vomiting reflex. A secondary contributing factor may be the formation of a stable foam as proteins in the banana mix with carbon dioxide from the Sprite, further increasing pressure within the stomach.
• Source support highlights:
  1. Multiple sources identify the volume of the food and drink exceeding the stomach's capacity as the main reason for vomiting. The average human stomach can only hold about two cups (or 500ml), and the challenge involves consuming a much larger volume in a short time.
  2. One source proposes a physical mechanism where protein from the bananas coats the carbon dioxide bubbles from the Sprite, creating an expanding foam that builds pressure.
  3. Medical sources, including an article by a gastroenterologist, indicate that bananas are typically recommended for an upset stomach (as part of the BRAT diet), suggesting the fruit itself is not the problem. This supports the conclusion that the vomiting is a result of volume and carbonation, not a specific property of bananas.
• Evidence:
  1. Verbatim excerpt: "While the vomit response is commonly assumed to be a chemical reaction between the two foods, the reaction may also occur due simply to the large amount of food and drink ingested within a short period. Dietitian Heather Boline observes that the human stomach can only hold around two cups, saying 'Too much food or liquid in your stomach if your stomach doesn’t have that capability can make you vomit.' Thus, the vomiting response is likely due to the volume of food and drink being higher than the volume of the stomach."
     Link: https://www.smri.world/social-media-challenges/banana-sprite-challenge
     Source name: Social Media Research Institute
     Publication date: unknown
  2. Verbatim excerpt: "The scientific explanation suggests that bananas provide protein while Sprite contributes carbon dioxide. When these combine in the warm environment of the human stomach, the gas bubbles from the Sprite become coated with banana protein, creating an expanding foam that exceeds stomach capacity. The article notes that the average human stomach can only hold about 500ml, and two bananas already fill much of this space. Adding a liter of Sprite overwhelms the stomach's capacity, causing pressure buildup as carbonation is released."
     Link: https://medium.com/the-technical/the-explosive-results-of-eating-bananas-drinking-sprite-216a1a27a3dd
     Source name: Medium
     Publication date: 2021-11-08
  3. Verbatim excerpt: "Bananas and apples are rich in a starch called pectin that can form a gel, which helps to treat diarrhoea. Green banana pulp and flour in particular was found to reduce diarrhoea in children. Bananas are also a rich source of potassium, which can help to replace potassium lost with diarrhoea."
     Link: https://theconversation.com/got-gastro-heres-why-eating-bananas-helps-but-drinking-flat-lemonade-might-not-198293
     Source name: The Conversation
     Publication date: 2023-01-25
• Consistency of source conclusions: consistent
• Requires further verification: yes

Supplementary Verification List

Item 1: Eating a couple bananas and then drinking a liter of sprite will make you puke

• Reason:
  1. The current conclusion is based on explanations from a dietitian and a tech/science blog, but lacks direct confirmation from a peer-reviewed scientific study or a statement from a major medical or gastroenterological association.
  2. The "protein-foam" theory, while plausible, is presented in a single, non-academic source and requires corroboration from a more authoritative scientific source to be considered a confirmed mechanism.
• Key facts to ascertain:
  1. Is there any peer-reviewed research in gastroenterology, food science, or chemistry that specifically analyzes the interaction between bananas and carbonated beverages in the stomach?
  2. Is the phenomenon of food proteins stabilizing gas bubbles from carbonated drinks to create pressure-inducing foam a recognized and documented effect in medical or food science literature?
• Required sources:
  1. Academic databases (e.g., PubMed, Google Scholar) for peer-reviewed articles.
  2. Official websites of professional organizations (e.g., American Gastroenterological Association, Institute of Food Technologists).
• Priority: Medium

Action Plan

1. Conduct targeted searches in academic and scientific databases for research on the physiological effects of consuming large volumes of food and carbonated beverages, using keywords like "gastric distension," "stomach capacity," "carbonated beverage," and "intragastric pressure."
2. Broaden the search to include literature on food science that discusses the interaction between food proteins and carbonation, specifically looking for information on foam stability in acidic environments like the stomach.
3. Search the official publications and websites of major gastroenterological associations for any position statements, articles, or patient guidance related to viral food challenges or the effects of rapid, high-volume consumption.

Let me check a more authoritative medical source about the stomach's capacity and what happens when it's overfilled.

Let me search for more specific information about what happens when consuming bananas and carbonated drinks together, focusing on medical or scientific explanations.

Let me look for more specific information about the interaction between bananas and carbonated drinks in the stomach.

Let me look for information from medical sources about gastric distension and vomiting to better understand the mechanism.

Verified Conclusions List

Item 1: Eating a couple bananas and then drinking a liter of sprite will make you puke

• Preliminary conclusion: This claim is highly plausible. The primary cause is acute gastric distension resulting from the rapid consumption of a large volume of food and liquid (two bananas plus one liter of Sprite), which significantly exceeds the stomach's normal capacity. This overstretching triggers a mechanical reflex, leading to vomiting. The carbon dioxide gas released from the Sprite further increases intragastric pressure, exacerbating the effect.
• Source support highlights:
  1. Scientific studies show the average resting stomach volume is relatively small. One study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) found the average intragastric volume to be around 290 ml. The volume of two bananas (~200-250 ml) and a liter of Sprite (1000 ml) is far greater than this.
  2. Medical literature confirms that consuming large quantities of carbonated beverages can cause gastric distress. A review on PubMed notes that symptoms of mechanical distress appear when drinking more than 300 ml of a carbonated fluid.
  3. High-authority medical sources like the NCBI state that the vomiting reflex can be triggered by mechanical stimuli, such as the distension (stretching) of the stomach.
• Evidence:
  1. Verbatim excerpt: "The average intragastric volume of the stomach was about 289.88±69.15 ml, the majority being in the range of 250-300 ml."
     Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9515405/
     Source name: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
     Publication date: 2022-08-28
  2. Verbatim excerpt: "Symptoms related to a gastric mechanical distress appear only when drinking more than 300 ml of a carbonated fluid."
     Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19502016/
     Source name: PubMed
     Publication date: 2009
  3. Verbatim excerpt: "Vomiting, or emesis, is the forceful retrograde expulsion of gastric contents from the body... Chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors in the GI tract can sense various chemical (acids, irritants, toxins) and mechanical (distension) stimuli."
     Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK410/ and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7933092/
     Source name: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
     Publication date: 1990 and 2021
• Consistency of source conclusions: consistent
• Requires further verification: yes

Supplementary Verification List

Item 1: Eating a couple bananas and then drinking a liter of sprite will make you puke

• Reason:
  1. A secondary mechanism has been proposed by non-academic sources, suggesting that protein from the bananas stabilizes the carbon dioxide bubbles from Sprite, creating a rapidly expanding foam. This specific "protein-foam" theory lacks verification from authoritative scientific sources.
• Key facts to ascertain:
  1. Is there a documented chemical or physical interaction between banana proteins and carbonated liquids that creates a uniquely stable foam under conditions similar to the human stomach?
  2. Does food science or gastroenterology literature support the theory that such a foam could be a significant contributing factor to vomiting, beyond the effect of simple volume and gas release?
• Required sources:
  1. Peer-reviewed journals in food science, physical chemistry, or gastroenterology.
  2. Textbooks or publications from professional food science organizations.
• Priority: Medium

Action Plan

1. Conduct a literature search in food science and chemistry databases for research on the foaming properties and stability of fruit proteins (specifically banana proteins) in acidic and carbonated environments.
2. Search for studies on the physical chemistry of food foams, focusing on how proteins act as surfactants to stabilize gas bubbles and how this is affected by pH and temperature.
3. Investigate medical case studies or gastroenterology reports for any documented instances where vomiting was attributed to a specific food-protein and carbonation interaction, as distinct from general gastric distension.

Based on the comprehensive evidence I've gathered, I can now provide a final answer.