Is it Dangerous to Eat Apple Seeds?

Did your mom ever tell you not to eat apple seeds or an apple could grow in your stomach? Well, your mom may have been right. You shouldnt eat apple seeds, but its not because of the apple tree. Apple seeds contain substances called cyanogenic glycosides (a cyanide containing compound) which could cause health problems if consumed in very high quantities. Apple seeds arent the only fruit seeds that contain cyanide, so do the seeds of peaches, apricots, cherries, and raspberries, to name a few. Its quite likely youve swallowed a few apple seeds in your life, if theyre poisonous, why didnt you experience any serious symptoms?

Cyanogenic glycosides, as the name suggests, contains cyanide attached to a sugar molecule. When this compound is acted on by an enzyme, the sugar molecule is cleaved off, leaving behind the well known poison, cyanide. The truth is if you were to eat apple seeds in large quantities, they could kill you, but in most cases, the seeds pass through the digestive system without releasing significant amounts of cyanide unless you chew on them to release the toxin. Even if some poison is released from the seeds, your body has the capability of neutralizing small amounts of cyanide and you probably wouldnt experience serious effects unless you were to eat apple seeds in very high amounts. Unfortunately, a small child or a pet may not be so lucky. It might not take a large number of apple seeds to cause symptoms in a child or pet which means you should avoid giving your pets apples unless you remove the seeds. The same applies to children.

What kind of symptoms would develop if you were to eat apple seeds to the point of toxicity? You might experience neurological symptoms including seizures, headache, lightheadedness, and dizziness along with fluctuations in heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Vomiting and excessive salivation could occur. If you consumed enough seeds, you might develop severe breathing problems followed by respiratory failure and death. Because of the large quantity of seeds needed to poison a human, this isnt commonly seen, although animals are not infrequently affected.

The bottom line? You probably shouldnt panic if you swallow a few apple seeds. Its more important to make sure children and pets dont eat apple seeds. (or other fruit seeds and pits). Whatever you do - keep giving the kids those seedless apples! Theyre a healthy source of fiber and antioxidants.