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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