This is National Poison Prevention Week.
It is not just household chemicals that can cause toxic reactions. There are a number of common foods that can cause an array of uncomfortable side effects and may even result in death.
Eating apple seeds may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash. The seeds contain low amounts of amygdalin which converts to cyanide after they are eaten, according to Dietary Therapist Anna Esparham.
Acidosis is a condition associated with the body’s overproduction of acid and causes the blood or body tissues to become saturated.
“Cyanide stops cellular metabolism and therefore the body shuts down without the presence of oxygen and produces quite a bit of acidosis,” she said. “An adult would have to eat about two cups of apple seeds to be severely poisoned.”
Apple seeds are not the only forbidden-fruit seed. Seeds from plums, peaches, apricots, pears and cherries can also have toxic-related results. Large doses can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, kidney failure, coma and death.
It is not just fruit seeds that can affect the body haphazardly. Eating the stems and leaves of tomatoes can cause nausea, stomach cramps and anxiety attacks.They contain chemical compounds attached with sugar called glycoalkaloids, according to Esparham. Eating green potatoes can have the same type of results since they contain the same type of glycoalkaloids. The green part should be cut off from the rest of the potato and thrown out, she said.
“They (glycoalkaloids) can irritate cell membranes and also block an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase which can be neurotoxic and cause gastrointestinal disturbance,” Esparham said.
Rhubarb leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid, she said, which can cause kidney stones. Although consuming these food-parts can be detrimental,according to Stephen Thornton, medical director of the University of Kansas Health System Poison Control Center, these type of poisonings are not as common as chemical poisonings.
Anna Esparham is a board certified pediatrician, integrative medicine physician and acupuncturist at KU Integrative Medicine. She specializes in nutritional and dietary therapies.
