Cyanide poisoning in Australian men after taking almond extract to fight cancer

According to foreign media, a 67 year old man in Australia recently tried to fight cancer by eating almond extract, only to have cyanide poisoning Although the man did not die, his oxygen levels were abnormally low - side effects of the cyanide poisoning could be fatal Doctors in Melbourne found that the patient had low oxygen levels during routine surgical anesthesia After blood tests, he was found to have 25 times the normal level of cyanide in his blood The researchers described the case in the BMJ case report and said "alternative drug" treatment could put patients at risk Many people think that almonds can fight cancer or prevent it Alex konstantatos, co-author of the study and director of pain medicine at Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, said in the case study that the Australian man had prostate cancer and had been taking almond extract and a core supplement called novodalin to prevent recurrence of prostate cancer Almonds contain a compound called amygdalin, which is converted into cyanide in the body Cyanide is toxic to cells because it interferes with the oxygen supply; it's particularly bad for the brain and heart that need oxygen According to the National Cancer Institute, amygdalin has no anticancer activity, and its use for cancer treatment is illegal in the United States Cyanide can cause nausea, headache, insomnia and tension, but it can also cause death In a report published last year, the European Food Safety Agency warned that many children were poisoned by cyanide from eating almonds A 28 month old girl died of a high level of cyanide in her blood after eating 10 almonds The Australian man took two teaspoons of homemade almond extract and three novodalin tablets a day, equivalent to 17.32 mg of cyanide.