I stumbled across a book purporting to have the cure to cancer – if only things were that simple! Fortunately I’m not the type of person that’s easily drawn in, but I was still intrigued to discover what the author thought this miracle cure was.
It turns out it’s ‘vitamin’ B17 again. This isn’t a new claim, yet there still isn’t any strong evidence supporting this claim. We do, however, know that B17, also known as laetrile or amygdalin, is a cyanogenic glycoside. This means that it releases cyanide when broken down, and if consumed in high doses, can be fatal.
Bitter apricot kernels are regarded as food, and have high levels of B17. And although these are often sold with claimed health benefits, we know of cases of poisoning overseas when people have eaten 20 to 30 of the kernels. Our Committee on Toxicity considered their safety few years ago, when it became apparent that they were being sold on the high street. Based on the evidence available the committee recommended that no more than 1 kernel/day should be consumed.
There are still a number of these products available for sale online that don’t carry a warning about their toxicity, so if you are at all tempted to buy these, take care not to consume more than one a day.
