Hold the Butter: Artificial Flavoring on Popcorn Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

[dkf]

Though I’m a pretty healthy eater most of the time, one of my few junk food weaknesses is movie theater popcorn -- and the more butter, the better. That oily, artificially flavored buttery topping is what makes the snack worthwhile! It’s also what makes it terrible, apparently. Long suspected as a cause of lung damage, researchers are now linking butter flavoring to Alzheimer’s disease.

The key culprit is a substance called diacetyl, which adds a buttery taste to foods without using any actual butter. It’s found in everything from microwave popcorn and the buttery topping used at movie theaters to snack foods, pet foods, margarines and baked goods. You would probably never know it from looking at ingredient lists, however: Most manufacturers will only list “artificial butter flavoring” without noting the specific compounds that make up that flavoring.

In a new study, researchers from the University of Minnesota found that diacetyl can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause a brain protein called beta-amyloid to clump. This clumping of beta-amyloid is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Diacetyl can also inhibit the brain’s ability to clear beta amyloid as well as stop a protective protein called glyoxalase I from working.

Whether toxic levels of diacetyl are achieved in various body compartments upon mere (over) consumption of diacetyl-containing food substances is an unanswered but an important question,” said lead researcher Robert Vince.

http://blog.aarp.org/2012/08/09/hold-the-butter-artificial-flavoring-on-popcorn-linked-to-alzheimers-disease/

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20120808/popcorn-butter-flavorant-linked-to-alzheimers

[kestrel91316]

1. Damn. No more microwave popcorn for me.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Damn..we just bought 2 big boxes =40 pkgs.

I don't eat it often, Mr. Dixie likes it.
It is not "movie theater" but it is off brand microwave popcorn.

[gblady]

3. I do it an easy way.....

take 3 tablespoons of popcorn, place in brown paper lunch bag, and microwave for about 2 minutes.

then I drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, a tad bit of garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and parmesean cheese....heavenly!

[dkf]

5. That sounds yummy.

[Aerows]

12. Parmesan cheese on popcorn

is wonderful

[klook]

14. Great tip - thanks (n/t)

[hollysmom]

4. get a hot air popper

cheaper, doesn't take up that much room, you can use real butter and still won't be as fattening. You can find them for 10 dollars.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. just get the NON-butter flavored, and add your own butter.

[HockeyMom]

8. Real butter, and real sugar, in moderation

much better than artifical anything.

[Trillo]

15. Unless you have protein allergy to dairy.

RE: Butter

[HockeyMom]

16. My daughter buys Goat's Dairy Products

It is not cheap but you can buy butter and cheeses besides milk.

[Trillo]

20. A common misconception. Goats milk protein is much the same as cow's milk protein.

Another very common error is confusing carbohydrate intolerance with protein allergy. Cultured dairy products often reduce carbohydrate intolerances, as the lactobacilli and enzymatic action digests carbohydrates. But cultured dairy doesn't seem to help with milk allergies. All that can be done is to avoid products with milk, including cheeses and butter (dairy).

Even margarines often contain whey, and for someone with a milk allergy, whey should be avoided. "Parve" margarines do not contain whey. I don't know if they contain diacetyl.

[HockeyMom]

22. It works for her, and did,

when she was a baby and I couldn't nurse her. It was LaLeche League, and her doctor, who told me to try the goat's milk when she was a baby. At least when she uses these products she doesn't get pains in her stomach and spend half her life on the John.

Whatever works for that individual.

[Trillo]

23. OT. The statistics I've seen are that about 2% of the population has milk allergy

whereas lactose intolerance ranges from 20-90% of the population, depending on geographical ancestry. If I recall correctly, about 75% of people worldwide are lactose intolerant. People of northern European descent are the 20% figure. Lactose is a carbohydrate.

To me, this explains some to a lot of the popularity of culturing dairy products with microbes before human consumption. Yogurt. Kefir. Probably even cheese. They help with issues surrounding lactose intolerance, the microbes eat some to all of it before the human consumes it.

Unfortunately, such products do not seem to help with milk allergy.

[redroof]

6. Bummer! I eat a ton of that stuff!

Next thing you know.... wait... what were we talking about?

[loudsue]

9. And why doesn't the government OUTLAW this stuff? Pot is illegal, but poison is ok?

This country is so messed up.

[laundry_queen]

10. That's what happens when corporations rule. nt

[B2G]

11. Margarine is the devil

I won't touch the stuff.

[eShirl]

13. ironically, the coconut oil in the butter flavored topping

is all the rage for giving to Alzheimer's patients
we retalking several tablespoons a day

[Agony]

17. diacetyl is naturally in some beer and wine... it is a product of fermentation

Cheers!

[Auggie]

18. Artificial butter flavoring is disgusting ...

Cook, folks -- it isn't that hard.

[markpkessinger]

19. Some brands of microwave popcorn do not use diacetyl

Act II, the brand I buy, ceased using diacetyl in its products several years ago, as did several other brands. Here's an article from 2007 when it was announced:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20605135/ns/health-health_care/t/major-popcorn-makers-drop-toxic-chemical/

[hobbit709]

21. I don't go to the movies any more.

Make my own popcorn at home and use REAL butter.