Snacking on sour apricot kernels? You’re during risk of cyanide poisoning, Health Canada warns

Health Canada says eating “more than a few” sour apricot kernels puts people during risk of cyanide poisoning. 

The seeds found in a pits of apricots are used to essence foods, though people might also be eating them as snacks, a department said in an advisory released Tuesday. Bitter apricot kernels are mostly sole in packages in health food stores, some Asian grocery stores and online, it said.   

“Health Canada advises those who select to devour sour apricot kernels to extent their expenditure to no some-more than 3 kernels per day for adults, belligerent and churned with other foods,” a advisory said.

Children should not eat a sour kernels during all.

• ‘Selling them like nuts is nuts’

In further to a sour kernel, an apricot array contains a honeyed kernel. The honeyed heart does not poise a risk, Health Canada said.

Bitter apricot kernels enclose a naturally occurring chemical called amygdalin, mostly found in a piece called laetrile and marketed as vitamin B17. Amygdalin can recover cyanide after it’s eaten. The tellurian physique can get absolved of tiny amounts of cyanide, Health Canada said, though some-more than a few of a kernels can lead to poisonous amounts. 

Bitter apricot kernels are infrequently promoted as a “medicinal ingredient,” a advisory said, including fake claims that they are a diagnosis for cancer.  

• Novodalin B17 cancer explain warning issued

“No health products containing amygdalin (or laetrile or B17) have been certified by Health Canada to provide cancer or any other condition,” a advisory said. “Health Canada does not assent cancer diagnosis claims for healthy health products.”

“The use of unapproved medicinal or healthy health products containing this part might outcome in cyanide poisoning, that could means death.”

Given a threat, Health Canada said, it is “assessing” how sour apricot kernels are sold. 

This is not a initial time Health Canada has released a warning about sour apricot kernels. In 2009, an information page on a department’s website said “at slightest one Canadian” had been hospitalized. 

In November, a man from California told CBC’s As It Happens about being treated for intensity cyanide poisoning during a Montreal sanatorium after shopping a bag of sour dusty apricot kernels and usually saying a tag warning opposite immoderate some-more than dual or 3 after eating many.  

Health Canada has compulsory warning labels on a products given 2009.  

Information on how many cases of cyanide poisoning from eating bitter apricot kernels have been reported to Health Canada was not immediately available.

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cyanide-poisoning-bitter-apricot-kernels-1.4434339?cmp=rss