{"id":5954,"date":"2023-07-25T20:07:33","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T13:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5954"},"modified":"2023-07-25T20:07:33","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T13:07:33","slug":"is-the-cyanide-in-flaxseed-harmful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5954","title":{"rendered":"Is the Cyanide in Flaxseed Harmful?\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\">In a worst-case scenario, how much flaxseed is too much?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Flaxseed <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ifrj.upm.edu.my\/20%20(02)%202013\/1%20IFRJ%2020%20(02)%202013%20Ganorkar%20(236).pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">packs<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> \u201ca nutritional punch,\u201d and, as I discuss in my video <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/should-we-be-concerned-about-the-cyanide-from-flaxseed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Should We Be Concerned About the Cyanide from Flaxseed?<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, the \u201crelease of hydrogen cyanide from flaxseed\u2026[is] below toxic lethal dose.\u201d Well, I should hope so!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Back-of-the-envelope type calculations have led industry-funded scientists to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/17011474\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">assert<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that \u201ca person would have to consume 8 cups (i.e., 1 kg) of ground flaxseed to achieve acute cyanide toxicity.\u201d I\u2019d feel better, though, if it were put to the test.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Researchers <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25708890\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">tested<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> flaxseeds under \u201cworse case conditions\u2026resulting in higher cyanide levels in [the] blood.\u201d First, they located the flaxseed with the highest level of cyanide-forming compounds they could find. They went to stores and bought 15 different sources of flaxseed. The average level was about 140 milligrams per kilo, which is typical, but they used the one with 220 mg\/kg. Second, the researchers used \u201cmaximal mechanical destruction\u201d\u2014a heavy-duty 20,000 RPM lab grinder\u2014to release the most cyanide. Third, study participants ate it all at once on an empty stomach, then kept their stomachs empty. And, they were given it raw because cooking can often wipe out all of the cyanide. The recommended daily dose <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/269752381_Flaxseed-_Bioactive_compounds_and_health_significance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">is<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> about one to two tablespoons of ground flaxseed\u2014I recommend one tablespoon in my Daily Dozen checklist\u2014so the researchers decided to go with four and a half tablespoons. What happened?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The range of cyanide blood levels one might <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25708890\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">estimate<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> \u201cto be (possibly) associated with first clinical symptoms of intoxication\u201d is 20 to 40 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00b5M<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, so we want to stay below those. After participants consumed (on an empty stomach) four and a half tablespoons of the highest cyanide-containing, ultraground, raw flaxseeds the researchers could find, the highest individual level rise was just under 14 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00b5M<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and the average was around 6 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00b5M<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There has to be some amount of flax that takes you over the limit, though, so the researchers also tested 9 tablespoons and 15 tablespoons. Remember, we start to worry at around 20 to 40 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00b5M<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. As you can see in the graph below and at 2:09 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/should-we-be-concerned-about-the-cyanide-from-flaxseed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, with three and a half teaspoons and even seven teaspoons of raw, high-cyanide ground flax at a time on an empty stomach, there <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25708890\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">was<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> hardly a blip. At 14 teaspoons, which is 4.5 tablespoons, they got that average increase to 6 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00b5M<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. What about consuming a little over nine tablespoons? That\u2019s more than a half cup at a time, which does start skirting toxicity. And, finally, what about a whole cup? I don\u2019t even know how you\u2019d eat a whole cup at once, but that <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">is<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> too much, putting you in that potentially toxic range for about three hours. So much for the industry\u2019s claim that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/17011474\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">consuming<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> eight cups at a time <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">is<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> safe. But, even in this worst-case scenario of one cup of raw flaxseeds on an empty stomach at the highest level the researchers could find, that person still didn\u2019t <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25708890\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">have<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> any clinical symptoms. This is consistent with the fact that there isn\u2019t a single published report of cyanide poisoning after consumption of flaxseeds anywhere in the literature, even from Swedish health spas where they may give up to 12 tablespoons as a \u201cfiber shock.\u201d Usually, high doses are two tablespoons or so three times a day, and that dose would be \u201csafe with respect to possible acute toxicity of cyanide.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-93856\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09-960x525.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09-1536x840.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09-1200x656.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09-720x394.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/07\/2-09-540x295.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/>What about any possible chronic toxicity? The World Health Organization (WHO) has a standard called the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI), which is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/handle\/10665\/44788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">defined<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> as the amount you can eat safely every day for the rest of your life without risking any adverse health effects, based on the best available data. Often, though, that\u2019s according to rat studies, as it <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11965236\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">was<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in this case: When varying doses of cyanide were put in the drinking water of rats for a few months at a certain level, the so-called benchmark dose lower confidence limit, there\u2019s a 10 percent increased incidence of shrinkage of the tail of the epididymis, which is where sperm is stored in the testicles. That happens at the human equivalent of the amount of cyanide in about 150 tablespoons of flaxseeds a day. Wanting to err on the side of caution, the WHO <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/m\/item\/trs-966---annex-5-who-good-data-and-record-management-practices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">introduced<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> \u201ca 100-fold uncertainty factor\u201d to create the PMTDI. Instead of 150 tablespoons of flaxseeds a day, the average American should stick to less than one and a half daily tablespoons if you\u2019re going to eat flaxseeds every day. My tablespoon-a-day Daily Dozen recommendation should be safe by any of these standards.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Cooking may not always wipe out all of the cyanide in flaxseeds. <\/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>Friday Favorites: How Well Does Cooking Destroy the Cyanide in Flaxseeds and Should We Be Concerned About It? <\/strong><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">See my video to find out.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\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>In a worst-case scenario, how much flaxseed is too much?\u00a0 Flaxseed packs \u201ca nutritional punch,\u201d and, as I discuss in my video Should We Be Concerned About the Cyanide from Flaxseed?, the \u201crelease of hydrogen cyanide from flaxseed\u2026[is] below toxic lethal dose.\u201d Well, I should hope so!\u00a0\u00a0 Back-of-the-envelope type calculations have led industry-funded scientists to &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5954","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\/5954","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=5954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}