• Question: Is it true that some every day foods are extremely dangerous and poisonous to some species and even to some humans?

    Asked by 284drud47 to Anne, Florence, Mark, Neil, Sinead on 15 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Florence McCarthy

      Florence McCarthy answered on 15 Nov 2015:

      In general, everyday foods are safe but there are examples of some specific interactions (allergies to peanuts for example) which can be lethal.

    • Photo: Mark Collins

      Mark Collins answered on 15 Nov 2015:

      Some foods that we eat readily and are use dot may make animals such as domestic pets or farm animals very sick. Our digestive systems are different from other species so something we may seem as routine may make them very sick. This is not my area of expertise but i know are digestive systems are incredibly complex but also very delicate and this is the same for other species and disturbing this delicate system may cause problems.

    • Photo: Sinead Balgobin

      Sinead Balgobin answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      Yes, it’s all about how our bodies break down and process food (metabolism). This is different for different animals, because we have evolved to eat different foods! The famous example is chocolate with dogs, cats and even bears. Chocolate contains a compound called theobromine, which is similar in structure to caffeine. We can metabolise both theobromine and caffeine quite well and quickly, but very high doses can be deadly. With other animals, like dogs, metabolism of theobromine is much slower, so the toxic compound stays in their system for longer which makes them become sick, and could kill them.

      Among humans, variations in people’s metabolism can cause the same problems. Allergies can have the same effect, but work differently- they are linked to your immune system thinking that certain things (like nuts or eggs) are harmful, so go into overdrive to fight them off… but can end up attacking your own body.

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