Over 200 People Are Killed by the “World’s Deadliest Food” Every Year — But Nearly 500 Million Still Eat It
It comes in two main types:
- Sweet cassava – Lower in toxins, safer to eat with basic cooking.
- Bitter cassava – Contains high levels of cyanogenic glycosides, which release cyanide when consumed.
Why Is Cassava Dangerous?
The danger lies in how it’s processed.
Bitter cassava naturally contains linamarin, a compound that converts into hydrogen cyanide when the plant cells are damaged (e.g., during peeling, grating, or chewing).
If not properly detoxified, eating bitter cassava can lead to:
- Acute cyanide poisoning – Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, rapid breathing, convulsions, and death within hours.
- Konzo – A paralyzing neurological disease affecting the legs, primarily seen in malnourished populations in Central Africa.
- Tropical ataxic neuropathy – A chronic condition causing blindness, deafness, and loss of coordination.
In fact, cassava is responsible for more cases of food-related cyanide poisoning worldwide than any other food crop, according to the World Health Organization.
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