Is this preservative what’s behind the explosion in food allergies?
Food allergies were barely a blip on our radar a few decades ago.
Now, the number of people — especially kids — with serious and even life-threatening allergies is going through the roof.
And a researcher at Michigan State University thinks she knows why.
It’s all because of a preservative called Tert-butylhydroquinone, or tBHQ, being added to chips, crackers, oils, and even lots of fast foods to keep them from going rancid.
For years the government told us tBHQ was safe. But what they didn’t tell us is that it’s made from benzene, the same cancer-causing chemical used to manufacture gasoline.
And once you hear the whole truth about tBHQ, you’ll want to do everything you can to kick it out of your diet forever.
Sometimes I think the FDA was taken over by mad scientists out of some old sci-fi movie.
I mean, what else could explain the sheer number of dangerous chemicals it allows in our food supply. It’s unbelievable!
Case in point, tBHQ.
That’s a preservative added to a wide variety of foods, and that the FDA declared “safe” in 1972. You’ll often find it listed on an ingredient label along with BHA and BHT… but not always.
That’s because thanks to an FDA loophole, it sometimes doesn’t appear on food labels at all.
But now, because of Cheryl Rockwell, who is an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at MSU, we’re learning the inside story about tBHQ. And it’s one that Big Food would rather we never heard.
You see, Dr. Rockwell has been studying tBHQ for almost a decade, and what she’s discovered goes way beyond just a warning about another risky food additive.
Her research may have uncovered the real reason why so many people these days have serious, sometimes life-threatening allergies to foods such as nuts, eggs, milk and shellfish.
Here’s how Dr. Rockwell explains it. She compares our immune system to a “military force,” one that protects us from pathogens. And a very important part of that protection comes from our T cells, what she calls “the generals.”
But when T cells are exposed in the laboratory to tBHQ they start behaving differently. Instead of protecting us, those important cells start releasing a type of protein that’s known to trigger allergic reactions to certain foods.
“The T cells stopped acting as soldiers… and started causing allergies,” Dr. Rockwell said.
On top of those findings, she noticed that the use of tBHQ in the food supply has been rising right along with a big increase in food allergies — including more severe ones.
And this isn’t the first time this preservative, which is made from benzene, has turned up some worrying effects.
Other research has found that high amounts can cause “nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse,” as well as stomach cancer.
I’m sure by now you’re wondering how to best avoid tBHQ! So here are three tips that will help you keep as much of this risky additive out of your diet as possible.
Tip #1: Check ingredient labels. As I said, the FDA has given food manufacturers a giant loophole where tBHQ is concerned. Despite that, some companies that use it will still have it listed, and you should still be checking.
Tip #2: Go organic. If you, your kids or grandkids eat a lot of cookies, crackers, chips or any other snack food containing ingredients that go rancid (like oils), stick with organic versions, which won’t contain any amount of tBHQ.
Tip #3: Avoid fast food. If you need another reason to skip fries, chicken nuggets and other deep-fried delights from fast-food chains, this is certainly a good one. The preservative is often added to bulk cooking oils.
Sources:
“Common additive may be why you have food allergies” July 11, 2016, Michigan State University, msutoday.msu.edu
