Can You Die from Eating Melon with Honey? A Doctor’s Answer.

Our content is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for medical advice by your doctor. Use for informational purposes only.

Key Facts:

  • Some claim that mixing honey with melons may lead to poisonous compounds that may lead to death.
  • No evidence supports these claims, and it is not true that you will die from eating melons with honey.
  • It is OK and perfectly safe to mix melon and honey and eat them together.
  • However, they have some non-hazardous side effects, such as increased blood sugar in diabetics, High calories, and digestive issues in people with IBS.

 

Table of Contents

The origin of the claim.

You probably came to this article because you’ve heard that mixing melon with honey may lead to death.

The exact origin of this wrong claim is unknown. But what we’re sure about is that no credible scientific source support this health claim.

This claim probably came out of some old traditional beliefs. Unfortunately, and surprisingly, some still falsely repeat such claims.

Can you die from eating melon or honey?

No evidence supports the claim that is eating melons with honey cause death. You can safely eat them mixed or separately at the same time.

Both honey and melons are pretty famous. And thousands (if not millions) eat them together every day. And there is no record of anyone dying from eating melons with honey.

Some rumors claim an entire family died from eating melons with honey. However, no official reports support these rumors.

Don’t be afraid to eat such a delicious mix unless you have digestive issues (such as IBS) or are diabetic or obese.

The components of honey and melons are safe to eat.

Honey is made mainly from different types of sugar and water. Therefore, no specific component of honey leads to serious effects from eating it.

Honey components include (reference):

  • Fructose: 38.2%
  • Glucose: 31.3%
  • Maltose: 7.1%
  • Sucrose: 1.3%
  • Water: 17.2%
  • Higher sugars: 1.5%
  • Ash: 0.2%
  • Other/undetermined: 3.2%

https://www.oh-mygut.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/honey-composition.jpeg

On the other hand, 90% of melons are water; the remaining are sugar and other trace elements.

Here is the composition of melons:

  • Water: 90.2%.
  • Sugar (mainly sucrose, fructose, and glucose): 7.86%.
  • Protein 0.84%
  • Fat: 0.19%
  • Fibers: 0.9%.
  • And other trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, Folic acid, etc.

So, both melons and honey are formed mainly of sugar and water. Therefore, they are safe to eat without any reported serious side effects.

What are the possible side effects of eating melons and honey?

Eating melons with honey doesn’t lead to serious side effects. Allergic food reactions (anaphylaxis) are an extremely rare condition.

The main side effects of eating too many melons with honey are their blood sugar effects.

Both honey and melons are high in sugar. So, melon with honey is not the best option if you want to lose weight or have diabetes mellitus.

Side effects include:

  • Increase in blood sugar if you have diabetes. Poop sugar control may lead to serious problems in the long term.
  • Too many calories due to high sugar content (fructose, sucrose, glucose, etc. So, it may not be suitable if you are on a diet to lose weight (however, small amounts are still OK).
  • Digestive issues including bloating, cramps, and diarrhea in patients with FODMAP intolerances (As patients with IBS). FODMAPs are short-chain sugars such as lactose and fructose. They’re rapidly fermented and produce gas, diarrhea, and other digestive issues in most people with IBS. Both honey and melons are high in FODMAPs.

Conclusion: Is it OK to eat melons with honey?

It is perfectly OK to eat melons with honey without the need to worry about serious side effects or death. The combination is safe, and honey may help sweeten melons.