14 DAY TRIAL // Exposure to a compound called diacetyl (DA) has been shown to increase a person's chances of developing a neurodegenerative form of dementia known as Alzheimer's disease. The chemical is found in an extremely wide array of food products, researchers explain.
Workers in the food industry are particularly susceptible to this effect, because they get chronic levels of exposure to DA. The substance give a buttery flavor to microwave popcorn, margarines, pet foods, baked goods, snacks and a wide array of other products, Science Blog reports.
The new study shows that DA can boost the damaging effects of the beta-amyloid protein, a molecule that plays an important role in the development of Alzheimer's. The protein tends to accumulate between neurons and then clump up. The resulting plaques kill off nerve cells one by one.
A paper published in the latest issue of the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology says that beta-amyloid is capable of clumping up faster in the presence of DA.