You may wish to avoid them—but not necessarily because of the preservatives they contain. Whole or minimally processed foods are usually more nutrient-dense, providing more of the nutrition your body needs to function well. Research has estimated the amount of BHA and BHT that would be present in an average diet and didn't find any problems. However, studies suggest that consuming unusually large quantities of BHA may have some interactions with hormonal birth control methods or steroid hormones.
Here's a close look at what some of the current research has to say about foods and other products containing these additives. As a precaution, vulnerable populations, such as infants, young children, and people who are pregnant or lactating may want to avoid BHA and BHT. The FDA considers foods containing approved levels of BHA and BHT safe for consumption and there is not enough evidence to show that these amounts pose a threat to human health.
But larger doses may put you at risk for developing certain forms of cancer. Despite this, cereal manufacturers like General Mills have actually removed BHT from their cereals to help clear up any confusion around safety and put consumers at ease. The best way to avoid BHT and BHA in food is to steer clear of packaged, processed foods and stick to fresh whole foods whenever possible. Excessive consumption of ultra-processed food is linked to a number of chronic health conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, but that has little to do with BHT and BHA and more so to do with the high amounts of fat and added sugar found in these foods.
Food preservatives and additives like BHA and BHT are safe to consume in the specific dose recommended by the FDA, but keep in mind that scientific research on the long-term effects of higher doses is still ongoing. The main health concern may not be the additives themselves, but rather, the nutritional value of the processed foods that contain them.
Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get it free! Updated April 1, Comparative study of antioxidant activity of some amides. A review on mechanisms and commercial aspects of food preservation and processing.
Agric Food Secur. Report on Carcinogens, Fourteenth Edition. Hepatoprotective effect of food preservatives Butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rat. Toxicol Rep. Anti-inflammatory activity of the artificial antioxidants 2-tert-butylmethoxyphenol Bha , 2,6-di-tert-butylmethylphenol Bht and 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol Tbp , and their various combinations.
In Vivo. Endocrine disrupting effects of butylated hydroxyanisole BHA - E Clujul Med. BPA liners prevent canned goods from taking on a metallic tinned flavor. The good news is that these chemicals definitely do their job extending the shelf life of food.
But they are not without a potential downside: These very same chemicals may be affecting our health in unintended ways. Today we look at two common preservatives you may want to consider with a wary eye.
They are preservatives commonly found in foods. What kinds of food? You name it: cereals, gum, fast food, processed potatoes, drink mixes, shortening, snack foods, and so on. The compounds are also found in food packaging , animal feed, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, rubber, and plastics. BHA or b utylated hydroxyanisole [pdf] is a synthetic antioxidant that is used to prevent fats in foods from going rancid and as a defoaming agent for yeast.
First synthesized in the late s,the compound began being used as a food additive around BHT or butylated hydroxytoluene [pdf] also stabilizes fats and is used to retain food smell, color and flavor. It too appeared on the synthetic chemical scene in the late sand was used as a food additive beginning in [pdf].
See also here. The scoop on BHA is a bit ambivalent. For dry foods like cereal the FDA has set limits for each food type. See here and here. The situation is much the same in Europe. And the European Commission has placed BHA as a category 1 potential endocrine disruptor [pdf] based on evidence that it interferes with hormonefunction in at least one living organism.
The evidence on BHT is a bit more reassuring. Butylated hydroxytoluene BHT is a most commonly used antioxidant recognized as safe for use in foods containing fats, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, rubber and oil industries.
In the past two decades, there has been growing interest in finding novel antioxidants to meet the requirements of these industries. To accelerate the antioxidant discovery process, researchers have designed and synthesized a series of BHT derivatives targeting to improve its antioxidant properties to be having a wide range of antioxidant activities markedly enhanced radical scavenging ability and other physical properties.
Accordingly, some structure-activity relationships and rational design strategies for antioxidants based on BHT structure have been suggested and applied in practice.
0コメント