The rise
in food allergies could be linked to an additive by the name of
tert-butylhydroquinone, or tBHQ, widely used as a food industry preservative in
goods such as cooking oil, nuts, crackers, waffles and bread products,
according to a researcher at Michigan State University, USA.
Cheryl
Rockwell, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the College
of Human Medicine, has been investigating tBHQ (tert-butylhydroquinone,) and
its effects for nine years. This synthetic additive derived from benzene is
often found in industrially prepared products like cooking oil or chicken
nuggets.
After
seeing a marked rise in food allergies, Rockwell set out to investigate whether
this substance could cause abnormal reactions in the immune system, triggering
food allergies. The scientist's work even won her an award from the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Approved
by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1972 for use in foods at a
maximum level of 0.02%, this preservative is hard for consumers to spot since
it isn't listed on food labels.
Previous
studies have found tBHQ to be carcinogenic at high doses, mainly causing tumors
in the stomach and also damaging human DNA.
The scientist
studied the effects of tBHQ on T cells, which produce proteins called cytokines
that help the body fight pathogens. In the presence of tBHQ in lab tests, T
cells released a different set of cytokines known to trigger allergies to eggs,
milk, nuts and shellfish.
"The
T cells stopped acting as soldiers in the defense against pathogens and started
causing allergies," explains Rockwell. "What we're trying to find out
now is why the T cells are behaving this way."
The
scientist suggests that other chemical agents, such as lead and cadmium, could
trigger similar effects.
For more
information on the research: http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2016/common-additive-may-be-why-you-have-food-allergies
No comments:
Post a Comment