Health warnings in Germany after man dies of eating poisoned zucchini
The death of a man who died after eating poisoned zucchini has sparked health warnings in Germany.
The 79-year-old from the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg died on Sunday two weeks after being rushed to a hospital along with his wife due to eating zucchini, DPA reported on Thursday.
The two had told hospital staff that they had eaten “terribly bitter” zucchini.
Doctors said that a toxin called cucurbitacin was behind the death of the man. The toxin, which can be found in members of the squash family such as zucchini, pumpkin and cucumber, can break down the membrane in the stomach and intestines.
The toxin has largely been bred out of the vegetables, but it can still be found. Germany’s Health Ministry warned that care should be taken before eating vegetables that can carry the toxin, particularly if dishes with these ingredients have a bitter taste.
German authorities said this was the first cucurbitacin poisoning case they had to deal with.
Officials from the Health Ministry, however, believe that a recent heat wave in Germany was a possible cause for the mutation in the vegetable that caused the man's death.
They also cite home-grown vegetables as possessing the biggest risk because they can occasionally retain the deadly toxin.
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