I've heard cyanide is found in apple seeds. How many apple seeds would it take to kill you?
by 
Anonymous
ANSWERS: 6
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The literature is sketchy out there at best - obviously nobody wants to test this on humans. There's also little interest in measuring the exact chemical levels in an apple seed. What I have heard however is - "all the seeds from a bushel of apples" and "between half a cup to a full cup". This also requires eating all the seeds at once and overloading your system. Your body is able to process toxins at low levels. Interestingly enough, it's not cyanide found in apple seeds. What is found is a chemical called a cyanogenic glycoside. This chemical is a sugar bound to other molecules - in the case of the apple, it has a cyanide molecule attached. When the body breaks this down, the cyanide is released into the system where it can cause it's toxic symptoms. At 5 milligrams of cyanide per kilogram of mass in your body, it can even kill you. I know I wasn't able to tell you an exact number of seeds, but I hope this helps! --SP
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more than in one apple, so don't worry. but don't go eating them in bulk.
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i realize you think you're helping people by informing them that apple seeds could be dangerous, but you're also aiding the ones that want to use this as a method of suicide.. i'm not making it up, i'm talking about someone in my household.. think about it.
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Apple seeds also have a very hard coating that resists stomach acids, allowing the seeds to pass through intact if you are simply swallowing them. You would have to chew the seeds, breaking through the coating or crush them before eating. I think it is Amygdaline that is in the seeds of apples and apricots, peaches, and some other seeds. The body converts this Amygdaline into Hydrogen Cyanide, but the amount is so small as to be insignificant. The body can metabolise safely the very small amount of the compound in the seeds of one apple, and probably several apples with no effect. I've been eating apples for more then fifty years, chewing the seeds with no effect to me. When I eat an apple, I eat the whole thing except the stem. No core to throw out.
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I've read that it would take at least 100 grams of apple seeds to make you very ill or to kill you. That's at least half a cup of seeds. And they need to be crushed or bitten before swallowing. And they must all be eaten very quickly together. If they are not crushed or bitten, they pass throught the digestive system whole and do not release the chemical. The apple seed's skin covering is very protective and can survive our digestive acids. So that's what? The seeds from maybe 50 - 100 apples? And eaten all very quickly in just a couple minutes.
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You'll have to eat a cup full of it..... there are much better ways to die :p
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