Short answer
Cyanide is deadly, but the dose makes the poison, so don’t fear for your apple cores.
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
View Full Grading System
Category 'A'
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Side effects are rare. Things rated an 'A+' are typically necessary for survival (for example, water).
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. A few harmful qualities may be associated, but only under certain circumstances such as an allergic reaction.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
It is important to note that even the best things in life can become bad in immoderate amounts. So, although something may be rated an 'A+', overconsumption/overdoing can bring unwanted effects.
Category 'B'
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
Overall beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B' may have some harmful qualities to pay attention to.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
The main difference between category 'A' and category 'B' is the harmful qualities typically present in 'B' items. Serious side effects are usually uncommon, but are still possible and should be taken note of.
Category 'C'
Both beneficial and harmful qualities associated. Things rated a 'C+' are typically a bit more on the beneficial side. Still, moderation is important.
A fairly even ratio of beneficial and harmful qualities. Moderation is important. Very general topics that can lean towards both sides of the spectrum will be placed here as well. Rice, for example, can be good or bad depending on the type.
More harmful than beneficial. Side effects are common, especially when consumed/done excessively. Moderation is very important.
Category 'C' usually denotes to both good and bad qualities. When it comes to this category, it is important to keep this word in mind: moderation.
Category 'D'
Harmful to your health. Although benefits may be associated, the bad most likely outweighs the good. Moderation is very important.
Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
Category 'D' is typically for things that are more harmful than beneficial. While consuming/doing something unhealthy once in a blue moon shouldn't hurt, we definitely recommend eliminating 'D' items as a regular part of your routine/diet.
Category 'F'
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
Category 'N'
'N' stands for neutral. Things placed into this category are generally (a) neither good nor bad for you, or (b) lack the necessary evidence to reach any conclusions.
Long answer
A German scientist dissolving fruit seeds in water discovered cyanide in 1782. It’s a useful industrial chemical - you can use it to make paper, plastic, metal, and ink. Cyanide is also a deadly gas: it prevents your cells from using oxygen. Cyanide gas was utilized as a chemical weapon by the likes of Adolph Hitler and Saddam Hussein.
Does it pose a danger to you? Unless you crawl under the tent of a house that’s being fumigated for pests, probably not. Apple seeds and peach cores contain a chemical called amygdalin - it’s a cyanide molecule attached to a sugar molecule. Digest those seeds, and your body will separate the sugar from the cyanide, creating a trace amount of cyanide gas in your gut.
The important word in that last sentence is trace. The amount of cyanide gas created when you digest an entire apple seed is really, really small; your body, moreover, doesn’t digest the whole seed - some of it passes out in your stool. To get a lethal dose of cyanide, you’d have to take approximately 18 apples, crush up their seeds (around 200) into a fine powder, and eat it.
There are no documented cases of someone accidentally dying from cyanide poisoning after eating too many apple seeds. Ever. The same can be said for the pits of plums, peaches, greengages, and other fruits. It’s theoretically possible, but were it to happen to you, you’d probably make it into the New England Journal of Medicine as a medical and scientific first.
There’s some weak scientific evidence that amygdalin - also called vitamin B17 - can be used in cancer treatment. South Korean scientists were able to induce cell death in prostate cancer cells by exposing them directly to amygdalin. This isn’t entirely surprising - cyanide deprives those cells of oxygen. A similar effect has been shown with brain and bladder cancers, although lung and breast cancer studies have not produced the same effect.
These investigations are about direct exposure of the tumors to amygdalin. To fight cancer with cyanide, you have to inject it into the site of the tumor. It’s not a good idea to eat purified amygdalin - it’ll produce cyanide gas in your gut and do more harm to your digestive system than any cancer you might have.
Possible short-term side effects
- cyanide poisoning can cause:
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bodily weakness
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confusion
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bizarre behavior
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exhaustion
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coma
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shortness of breath
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headache
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dizziness
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vomiting
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abdominal pain
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seizures
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death
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