There is a high chance that you, like most people, really enjoy eating popcorn while watching movies. This activity is one of the most popular, especially in our society that is such a big fan of going to the moves. Even when we watch movies at home we usually make a stop on or way home to grab a couple of microwave butter-labored popcorn packages.
However it is very important that the elements that make them so tasty and desirable are the same elements that might be harmful for your brain. The University of Minnesota has recently published a research in the Journal Chemical Research of Toxicology where they claim that diacetyl is directly linked to the worsening of the damage produced by a protein in the brain connected to Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic disease that progressively deteriorates the brain and which has been proven to be terminal.
Popcorn is Far from Being a Healthy Food
Previous research have found that employees of companies in charge of making the flavoring ingredient in popcorn have presented respiratory problems as well as other health conditions, and diacetyl is directly linked to these problems. Diacetyl seems to possess a structure that is very similar to other substance that make beta-amyloid clump in the brain. A hallmark sign of Alzheimer’s disease is the clumping of beta-amyloid protein and researchers found that this clumping is increased by diacetyl. They have also found that diacetyl causes the increase of the toxicity of beta-amyloid on nerve cells grown in their laboratory where the studies were made.
They used an environment similar to the one that the workers were exposed to in order to emulate the same amount of exposure to the brain cells. Diacetyl was also found to stop a protective protein in the brain called glyoxalase I. Another important heavier of diacetyl found in the research is that it is capable of going through the blood-brain barrier which is the barrier that protects the brain from damaging substances. It means that more damaged can be done to the brain by diacetyl. In addition, the workers that have been exposes to this toxic substance will present long-term neurological toxicity, according to the scientists.
The previously mentioned studies have certainly proved a direct connection between the level of damage in the brain and the long-period exposure of the toxic substance, diacetyl. Nevertheless, they haven’t yet found a cause-effect relationship between them. There will be future research in order to find out not only what the cause-eefect relationship is, but also what the effects of consuming diacetyl through popcorn can have for our brain health, respiratory system, and other health issues.
However, we highly recommend you to avoid consuming this substance from foods that are known to contain it since with do not know to what extend they might harm your brain and respiratory system. Diacetyl is also present in a lot of junk food, this is why he highly suggestion to consume healthy food instead.