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Which nuts are poisonous to humans?

Bitter almonds are those that naturally contain a toxin that your body breaks down into cyanide — a compound that can cause poisoning and even death.

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This article reviews the different types of almonds, which ones are considered safe to eat, and which ones are best avoided. That said, certain varieties are known to increase the likelihood of food poisoning, digestive troubles, and potentially even your risk of diseases like cancer. Others are, in fact, poisonous and ultimately unfit for human consumption.

Almonds are one of the most popular tree nuts worldwide.

Almonds can be divided into two major species that are very similar genetically — bitter almonds and sweet almonds. Sweet almonds have a slightly nutty flavor and are the ones you typically find on your supermarket shelves or in almond-based products, such as nougat or marzipan. As their name implies, bitter almonds have a very bitter flavor. This type grows both in the wild and commercial settings and is mainly used to make bitter almond pastes or extracts. They’re not typically found in grocery stores. Bitter almonds were the most common species grown until a few thousand years ago when a genetic mutation inhibited the almond tree’s ability to make amygdalin — the compound that gives bitter almonds their bitter taste ( 1 ). This mutation is what gave rise to sweet almonds and allowed the domestication of the almond tree that we know today.

Raw bitter almonds are poisonous

Bitter almonds contain a toxin known as glycoside amygdalin. When eaten, this toxin gets broken down into several compounds, including hydrogen cyanide — a toxic compound that can cause death ( 2 , 3 ). Case studies suggest that swallowing 6–10 raw bitter almonds is sufficient to cause serious poisoning in the average adult, while ingesting 50 or more can cause death. Smaller numbers are likely to have the same harmful effects in children or young adults (4). Interestingly, hydrogen cyanide appears to leach out of the almonds during heat processing. For instance, baking, microwaving, and boiling reduces the cyanide content of bitter almonds by 79%, 87%, and 98%, respectively ( 5 ). However, more studies are needed to confirm these findings, as well as to determine the exact amount of heat-processed bitter almonds that’s considered safe to eat.

Until more is known, bitter almonds are best avoided.

Sweet almonds are safe to eat

Although sweet almonds still harbor some amygdalin, their content of this compound is up to 1,000 times lower than that of bitter almonds. Such small amounts of amygdalin are insufficient to produce dangerous amounts of hydrogen cyanide ( 2 ).

As a result, sweet almonds are typically considered safe to eat.

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