{"id":5815,"date":"2023-07-20T19:05:57","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T12:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5815"},"modified":"2023-07-20T19:05:57","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T12:05:57","slug":"is-the-cyanide-in-flaxseeds-destroyed-by-cooking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5815","title":{"rendered":"Is the Cyanide in Flaxseeds Destroyed by Cooking?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">My Daily Dozen recommends at least one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds a day, but what\u2019s this about cyanide?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sweden\u2019s dietary guidelines are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livsmedelsverket.se\/globalassets\/publikationsdatabas\/andra-sprak\/kostrad-eng.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">pioneering<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in many ways. For example, they <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">encourage<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> people to decrease their climate impact by choosing more plant-based foods, which tend to produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which \u201cis why it\u2019s important for us to cut back on meat\u2026\u201d I was surprised by a page on the official Swedish National Food Agency website, though, which <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livsmedelsverket.se\/livsmedel-och-innehall\/oonskade-amnen\/vaxtgifter\/cyanogena-glykosider-och-vatecyanid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">discusses<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> cyanogenic glycosides and hydrogen cyanide and recommends for people to \u201crefrain[] from eating\u201d ground flaxseed for fear of cyanide toxicity\u2014as in the ground flaxseeds I <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">encourage<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> everyone to eat every day. No surprise that this was the first question I was asked when I gave a presentation in Stockholm!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Was the Swedish government onto something? Had I been duped by Big Flax-funded researchers who <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/19568181\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">claimed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> you could eat pounds\u2014more than 150 tablespoons\u2014of ground flaxseeds every day without worrying? First, some background.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As I discuss in my video<a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flax-seeds-and-should-we-be-concerned-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <strong>Friday Favorites: <\/strong><\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flax-seeds-and-should-we-be-concerned-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>How Well Does Cooking Destroy the Cyanide in Flaxseeds?<\/strong><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, as many as one in five plants that we eat <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9431670\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">produces<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> cyanide. In fact, if you look at the major food crops in the world (shown in the table below and at 1:07 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flaxseeds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">), more than half <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9431670\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">are<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> \u201ccyanogenic,\u201d meaning cyanide-producing. But, unlike toxic elements like lead, mercury, or arsenic that can\u2019t be broken down into anything, cyanide is an organic molecule\u2014one carbon atom attached to one nitrogen atom. In this organic state, it can definitely be toxic, but it loses its toxicity once it\u2019s broken down or complexed to something else, and we have a cyanide-detoxifying enzyme in our body that <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eurekaselect.com\/103060\/article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">does<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> just that. That\u2019s just one of five main ways our body can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9431670\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">detoxify<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> cyanide. It does require protein to do it, though, so that\u2019s why there has been chronic cyanide toxicity among malnourished populations in Africa trying to live off of improperly processed cassava root, for example. But, as long as we\u2019re getting adequate protein in our diet, our body can detoxify the normal amounts of cyanide we eat every day.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-93849\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07-960x525.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07-1536x840.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07-1200x656.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07-720x394.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1-07-540x295.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There is a rare, congenital genetic condition <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/9431670\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">called<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Leber\u2019s disease, though, where you\u2019re born without the ability to detoxify cyanide. Theoretically, \u201cpeople with the potential for Leber\u2019s disease can go blind\u201d from drinking apple cider, for instance, \u201cbecause of the effects of cyanide in cider,\u201d but other than that, our bodies evolved to be cyanide-detoxifying machines. Of course, there\u2019s a limit. For example, there <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/7072244\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">was<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> a case of cyanide poisoning after ingestion of bitter almonds. Not regular almonds, which <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24171123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">produce<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> about 40 times less cyanide, but bitter almonds, which you can\u2019t even buy. (They\u2019re used in flavor manufacturing.) If you did manage to get some, eating 50 of them could kill you, or even just a handful for a small child. This suggests that eating 2,000 regular almonds at one sitting could also be bad news.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Although you can\u2019t buy bitter almonds, you can buy apricots and apricot <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">kernels<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, which are the seeds inside the stone. They actually <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/24171123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">have<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> pretty toxic levels and have been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25605411\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">implicated<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in cases of severe cyanide poisoning all <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/219680\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">linked<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to \u201cLaetrile: the cult of cyanide, promoting poison for profit\u201d scam that you may recall I talked about in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/do-apricot-seeds-work-as-an-alternative-cancer-cure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Do Apricot Seeds Work as an Alternative Cancer Cure?<\/span><\/b><\/a> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">video, so I\u2019m totally sympathetic to regulators <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livsmedelsverket.se\/globalassets\/publikationsdatabas\/andra-sprak\/kostrad-eng.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">wanting<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to take a precautionary approach. But, are flaxseeds like bitter almonds, where just a few ounces could kill you, or are they more like regular almonds, where regular dietary intake wouldn\u2019t even come close?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Although the fact that flaxseeds can produce cyanide <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29101172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">sounds<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> like it would be a significant health concern, \u201cit is not for several reasons,\u201d according to scientists funded by the flax industry. First, an adult human <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">has<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the ability to detoxify up to 100 mg of cyanide per day. That\u2019s where the \u201cpounds of flaxseeds a day are safe\u201d number came from. And if you wanted to consume even more than those totally unrealistic 150 tablespoons a day, you could just eat them in baked goods since cooking destroys the cyanide. What\u2019s more, eating seven or eight tablespoons of raw flaxseeds doesn\u2019t even bump up the level of urinary thiocyanate, which is an indicator of cyanide exposure. So, it doesn\u2019t even look like your body is exposed to it. \u201cThus, the toxicity of flaxseed from CGs [cyanogenic glycosides] is not a realistic health threat.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Let\u2019s unpack that. The cooking part is mostly true. Baking muffins with just a quarter cup or so of ground flax for 15 to 18 minutes at about 450 degrees Fahrenheit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/8098222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">eliminates<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the cyanide-forming compounds. The same appears to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/7589716\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">happen<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> with baked bread, but, if you <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">bake<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> ground flaxseeds on their own, only 20 percent of the compounds are wiped out in even an hour at 350 degrees. Baking them whole wipes out 80 percent, though, and baking them in bread or muffins eliminates 100 percent. How does that make any sense? It\u2019s the moisture. Heat plus water wipes out the cyanide. It can be eliminated by boiling for just five minutes, when making hot cereal, for instance. So, yes, in most cases, it\u2019s true that cooking eliminates the cyanide compounds in flax, because they are typically in a batter as an egg substitute or in a moist dough when baking crackers, for example. In those cases, the cyanide is gone upon cooking. But, you can\u2019t just spread ground flaxseeds on a baking sheet because they dry out so fast that only a minority of the cyanide is lost. Why does it matter, though, if your body doesn\u2019t even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29101172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">seem<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to notice seven or eight tablespoons of them when they\u2019re raw? Because your body does notice. Urinary thiocyanate excretion <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/8098222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">doubled<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> at that level, though that\u2019s just a sign your body is actively detoxifying it. And if we can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29101172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">detoxify<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> a kilo\u2019s worth of flax a day, what\u2019s the problem?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Even if the \u201cadult human body has the ability to detoxify <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u2264<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">100 mg cyanide\/day,\u201d kids eat flax, too. Furthermore, as you can see below and at 5:47 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flaxseeds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a kilo <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17011474\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">has<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> about 50 percent more than the 100 mg we could detoxify and I\u2019m not interested in how much we <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29101172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">can<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> detoxify \u201cup to.\u201d For safety, we should be interested in the worst-case scenario, not the best-case scenario. Would someone please just give study participants different doses of flaxseeds and measure how much cyanide ends up in their blood? They did, and I <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25708890\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">cover<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that study in my video <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flax-seeds-and-should-we-be-concerned-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friday Favorites: <\/a><\/strong><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flax-seeds-and-should-we-be-concerned-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Should We Be Concerned About the Cyanide in Flaxseeds?<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-93851\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47-960x525.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47-1536x840.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47-1200x656.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47-720x394.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5-47-540x295.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">So, <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/friday-favorites-how-well-does-cooking-destroy-the-cyanide-in-flax-seeds-and-should-we-be-concerned-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friday Favorites: How Well Does Cooking Destroy the Cyanide in Flaxseeds and Should We Be Concerned About It<\/a><\/strong>? <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Watch the thrilling conclusion.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I mentioned my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Daily Dozen Checklist<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, which includes my recommendation for at least one tablespoon of ground flaxseed a day. Check it out to learn more.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My Daily Dozen recommends at least one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds a day, but what\u2019s this about cyanide?\u00a0 Sweden\u2019s dietary guidelines are pioneering in many ways. For example, they encourage people to decrease their climate impact by choosing more plant-based foods, which tend to produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which \u201cis why it\u2019s important &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}