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G6PD deficiency: the foods, medicines and household triggers to avoid | CION Cancer Clinics
With G6PD deficiency, the one food to avoid is fava beans, also sold as broad beans. The bigger risks are some medicines, including primaquine, dapsone, rasburicase and certain antibiotics, along with naphthalene mothballs and unlabelled herbal remedies. Everyday dals and pulses are safe. This page lists the triggers, the warning signs of a reaction, and why you should never stop a prescribed medicine without asking. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematologist cares for anaemia, bleeding, clotting and inherited blood disorders, with ArogyaSri, CGHS and cashless insurance accepted.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
What should you avoid if you have G6PD deficiency?
The one food to avoid is fava beans, also called broad beans. The bigger risks are certain medicines, naphthalene mothballs and unlabelled herbal mixtures, which can make red blood cells break down suddenly.
What G6PD does
G6PD is an enzyme, a protein that helps a chemical reaction happen, inside every red blood cell. It protects the cell from a kind of chemical stress. When there is too little of it, the cell copes on a normal day but bursts under strain. That strain can come from a trigger substance, an infection or a high fever.
Why most people feel well most of the time
Many people with G6PD deficiency never have a problem, and learn about it only from a newborn screen or a blood test for something else. Trouble comes when a trigger meets a weak cell. Avoiding the triggers is what keeps the red cells safe. It is a lifelong condition, but a manageable one.
Who needs this list most
It is inherited on the X chromosome, so it is found more often in boys and men. Girls and women can carry it, and some are affected. Parents of a baby with a positive screen need the list as much as the adult who has the condition.
Deficiency levels differ from person to person. This page cannot tell you how sensitive you are. Your doctor reads that from your own test.At home
Which foods and household things are risky?
The food list is short. The household list catches more families out, especially with young children.
Fava beans (broad beans)
The one food on every list. Fresh, cooked, dried or as flour, they can all trigger a sudden breakdown. The reaction to fava beans is called favism.
Check labels for
- Broad beans or fava beans
- Falafel made with fava beans
- Mixed bean snacks and flours
Naphthalene mothballs
The white balls kept in cupboards and bathrooms. Breathing the fumes, or a child putting one in the mouth, is a well-known trigger. Clothes stored with them can carry the smell onto a baby.
Henna on babies
Henna applied to the skin of newborns and infants with G6PD deficiency has been linked to red cell breakdown. Keep it off babies, including for ceremonies.
Unlabelled herbal and home remedies
Some traditional mixtures contain ingredients that trigger breakdown, and you cannot tell from the packet. Ask your doctor before starting any powder, tonic or supplement.
This includes high-strength vitamin C given as a drip.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistMedicines
Which medicines can trigger a reaction?
Medicines matter more than food. A small group carry a clear risk, and your doctor will choose another option where one exists.
The ones found on most lists
Primaquine and tafenoquine, used against some forms of malaria. Dapsone, used for some skin conditions and infections. Rasburicase, given in hospital during some cancer treatments. Methylene blue. Some antibiotics, including nitrofurantoin and sulfonamide antibiotics such as co-trimoxazole. Some quinolone antibiotics carry a caution as well.
Why malaria makes this urgent
Malaria is common in parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and the medicine that clears one type from the liver is primaquine. Before any malaria treatment, tell the doctor you have G6PD deficiency. They may test the level first or choose a different plan.
What not to do
Do not stop a medicine you are already taking because it appears on a list online. Lists differ, some drugs are safe at ordinary doses, and stopping can cause its own harm. Call the doctor who prescribed it and ask. Common painkillers and fever medicines are usually used, but still ask before you buy one over the counter.
No list is complete. Ask your pharmacist to check every new medicine against G6PD deficiency.
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Signs of a breakdown episode
Go to the nearest emergency department today, or call 108, if you or your child have dark urine like tea or cola, yellow eyes, sudden paleness, breathlessness, a racing heart, back or belly pain, or unusual drowsiness. These usually appear within a few days of an infection, a new medicine or eating fava beans. Say that the person has G6PD deficiency and bring the medicine or packet.
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Everyday life
How do you stay safe day to day?
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Get the diagnosis in writing
Keep a copy of the G6PD test report. A test done during or just after an episode can look falsely normal, so your doctor may ask for a repeat later.
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Carry a card or a phone note
Write "G6PD deficiency" and the medicines your doctor has told you to avoid. Keep it in the wallet, the school bag, and a photo on the phone.
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Tell every doctor, dentist and pharmacist
Say it at every visit, even for a minor problem. It matters most before antibiotics, malaria treatment, surgery or cancer treatment.
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Treat infections early
Infection is one of the commonest triggers. See a doctor early for fever, and watch the urine colour and the eyes for a few days after.
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Test the family
Brothers, sisters, a mother, and future babies can be tested. Tell the paediatrician before a baby is born so newborn jaundice is watched closely.
Side by side
Which other foods do people worry about?
What families are told online
What is actually known
All beans, dals and pulses must stop
Only fava beans are a clear trigger. Toor, moong, chana and other dals are part of a normal diet
Soya, menthol, blueberries and bitter gourd are dangerous
Reports are few and small. Ask your doctor rather than removing whole food groups
Tonic water must be avoided
It contains quinine. Occasional small amounts are a minor concern; ask if you drink it often
Sulphite preservatives in packaged food are unsafe
Evidence is thin. A varied home diet is the sensible default
Commonly believed
What do families often get wrong about G6PD deficiency?
"A strict diet will fix it."
The enzyme level is set by your genes. No diet raises it. Avoiding fava beans and trigger medicines prevents episodes, but cutting out healthy foods only makes nutrition worse, especially in growing children.
"Iron tablets will help with the low haemoglobin."
After an episode, the iron from broken cells usually stays in the body. Extra iron is needed only if a test shows you are short of it. Ask before giving any tonic.
"Only boys get it, so our daughter is fine."
Boys are affected more often, but girls can carry the gene and some have low enough levels to react. If there is a family history, test daughters as well as sons.
"It is a kind of blood cancer."
It is not. G6PD deficiency is an inherited enzyme condition and does not turn into cancer. If you ever need cancer treatment, tell the team, because a few cancer-care medicines need a different choice.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about G6PD deficiency
Can I eat dal, rajma and chana with G6PD deficiency?
Yes. The clear food trigger is the fava bean, also sold as broad beans. Everyday dals, rajma, chana and other pulses are not the same plant and are part of a healthy diet. If a mixed bean product does not list its contents, leave it and pick one with a clear label.
Is paracetamol safe for my child?
Paracetamol at the dose your doctor or the packet advises is generally used in children with G6PD deficiency. Fever itself can be a trigger, so the reason for the fever matters as much as the medicine. Ask your paediatrician for the right dose, and see a doctor if the fever does not settle.
What happens if I accidentally ate fava beans?
Many people have no reaction, but some develop breakdown within a day or a few days. Watch for dark urine, yellow eyes, paleness, breathlessness or unusual tiredness. If any appear, go to an emergency department and say you have G6PD deficiency. Do not try home remedies to flush it out.
Will G6PD deficiency get worse with age?
The enzyme level does not usually fall with age. What changes is exposure. Adults take more medicines and may need treatment for other conditions, so the chance of meeting a trigger rises. Keep telling every doctor about it, especially before surgery, antibiotics or treatment for malaria.
Can a mother with G6PD deficiency breastfeed?
Usually yes. Some medicines and fava beans eaten by the mother may pass to a baby who has the deficiency, so check any medicine with your doctor while breastfeeding. Tell the paediatrician, because a baby with the condition needs closer watching for jaundice.
Is there a treatment for G6PD deficiency itself?
There is no medicine that raises the enzyme. Care is about avoiding triggers and treating episodes quickly. During a breakdown the team treats the cause, keeps you hydrated and watches the haemoglobin. Some people need a transfusion, decided by the treating team on symptoms and the speed of the fall.
How reliable is my G6PD test result?
A test taken during or soon after an episode can read falsely normal, because young red cells carry more enzyme. Reference ranges differ between laboratories, and a single result is read with symptoms and repeat tests. If the result does not fit the story, ask whether it should be repeated later.
Can CION help if I need cancer treatment and have G6PD deficiency?
Yes. Tell the team at the first visit. CION's haematologist, Dr. Basudev Pokhrel, can review your reports so that medicines known to trigger breakdown are avoided or planned for. Ask which of your planned medicines have been checked, and what signs should bring you back early.
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Sources
- NHS — G6PD deficiency
- WHO — Malaria fact sheet
- NHS — Haemolytic anaemia
- NHLBI — Blood disorders health topics
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Haemolytic Anaemia: When Red Cells Are DestroyedWhat happens during a breakdown episode and whyWhich Tests Find the Cause of AnaemiaWhere the G6PD test fits among other blood testsWhen Anaemia Needs a HaematologistSigns that a specialist review is dueAnaemia: Recognising and Classifying ItThe full guide to low haemoglobin and its types
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