What happens if you eat 2 apple seeds?

Apple is considered as one the healthiest fruits but this same nutritious fruit can turn fatal. Yes, you heard it right. Apple seeds are capable of poisoning and causing death. Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a substance which releases cyanide when it comes in contact with human digestive enzymes. Amygdalin contains cyanide and sugar which when ingested by the body gets converted into hydrogen cyanide (HCN). This cyanide can make you sick and can even kill you. But acute toxicity is rare with accidental ingestion of seeds.
How cyanide works?

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Find out how apple seeds earned their deadly reputation.
A Seed of Truth
Appley Ever After
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Cyanide is infamous as one of the deadliest poisons with a long history in mass suicide and chemical warfare. Cyanide works by interfering with oxygen supply. And yes, apart from its chemical form it is also found in seeds of some fruits including, apricots, cherries, plum, peaches and apples. These seeds have tough protective coating which seals the amygdalin inside them. This strong protective layer of seeds is resistant to the digestive juices.
How much cyanide is poisonous?

About 200 grinded apple seeds, which means around a cup of it, can be fatal for the human body. Cyanide can damage your heart and brain. It can even lead to coma and death in rare cases. In fact, if consumed in large quantities, the symptoms can occur instantly including, seizures, shortness of breath, trembling, spasm, increased heart rate, respiratory failure, low blood pressure, all of which can lead to loss of consciousness. Survivors of poisoning can show evidence of heart and brain damage.

Also, lower amount of cyanide can lead to problems like nausea, headache, vomiting, stomach cramps, dizziness, confusion and weakness.

The exact amount that can poison someone depends on their body weight. To be more precise 0.5 to 3.5mg of cyanide per kg of a human body can be poisonous. Though it also depends on individual tolerance and the type of apples.

1 gram of finely crushed or chewed apple seeds contain 0.06–0.24 mg of cyanide.

Verdict:

Swallowing whole apple seeds is unlikely to cause any complications, as they pass without causing any harms to the body.

Still it’s a good idea to remove the seeds before eating the apple. Nevertheless, if you accidentally eat a few seeds, don’t worry. But you should immediately spit them out to avoid any potential issues.

Micro Wave: How 'Bout Dem Apple...Seeds

Apple cores are perfectly safe to eat, even though many choose not to. Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF hide caption

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Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Apple cores are perfectly safe to eat, even though many choose not to.

Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Many folks eat an apple and then throw out the core. It turns out, the core is perfectly ok to eat - despite apple seeds' association with the poison cyanide. In today's episode, host Maddie Sofia talks to producer Thomas Lu about how apple seeds could potentially be toxic to humans but why, ultimately, most people don't have to worry about eating the whole apple. And they go through some listener mail.

Check out more apple reporting from NPR and feel free to e-mail Short Wave at .

This story was produced by Brit Hanson, edited by Gisele Grayson and fact-checked by Ariela Zebede.

Find out how apple seeds earned their deadly reputation.

You may have taken some precautions while eating this crunchy snack as word on the street is that their tiny seeds can kill you!

Well, it turns out that’s not completely true. You’d have to try really hard to feel any negative effects from swallowing apple seeds. Keep reading to find out how apple seeds got their deadly reputation and why this fruit is far from fatal under normal circumstances.

A Seed of Truth

Apple seeds contain amygdalin, which is a cyanogenic glycoside composed of cyanide and sugar. When amygdalin is metabolized by the body, it disintegrates into HCN, otherwise known as hydrogen cyanide (in fancy terms). HCN is highly poisonous and can result in death within a few minutes — if enough is consumed.

Luckily for apple lovers, the amygdalin in apple seeds is only active if the seeds are crushed. Plus, the human body can process HCN in small amounts, which means it would take a ton of seeds to actually do damage — anywhere between 100 and 500 to be exact.

Appley Ever After

To put it in perspective, one apple contains approximately 5-8 seeds, which is nowhere close to the hundreds that can cause illness or death. A few whole apple seeds that are swallowed on accident will simply pass through the digestive system without harm.

To err on the side of caution, we recommend avoiding apple seeds if possible. Although, continue to eat your apple a day because they do provide lots of nutritional benefit and of course, a delicious taste!

By Sam McCormack, contributor for Ripleys.com