A team of researchers studying the chemicals used for artificial butter flavoring found that the chemical diacetyl may increase the risk of developing alzheimers.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.”

We already know that diacetyl is related to lung disease. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has been following diacetyl for nearly 15 years, and warnings not to inhale the fumes from microwave buttered popcorn have been made from various sources.

More recently, questions have been raced about the safety of diacetyl and its effect on the nervous system, particularly the brain. In a laboratory setting, researchers More, Vartak and Vince used concentrations which workers are exposed to factories that use the chemical as a flavoring to determine how it affects neurologic systems. One of the first things they noticed is that diacetyl crosses something called the blood brain barrier.

The blood brain barrier is one way that the body filters certain substances from entering the brain, so that the nerves in the brain are not affected and will continue to function normally. Capillaries in the brain do not allow a variety of chemicals to cross into the brain itself.

What the researchers found is that diacetyl is able to slip through and enter the brain. Once in the brain, diacetyl increased the number of proteins called “beta amyloid”. Beta amyloids are small protein pieces which stick together and form plaques. These plaques can settle between nerve cells. Once they are in place, the nerves can no longer communicate with each other. Since normal brain function is dependent on the brain sending signals to regulate not only all of the body functions, but also speech, recognition of others, and thinking, this is very concerning.

While diacetyl can naturally be found in miniscule amounts, it is highly concentrated in artificial butter flavorings and other food applications. Unfortunately, the consumer won’t know if it’s in the food they are ingesting. Manufacturers are not required to list it as an ingredient. It’s only lumped under “artificial flavorings”.

DeNoon, D.J., “Buttered Popcorn Flavoring Linked to Alzheimer’s: Diacetyl in Butter Flavoring, Beverages May Build Brain Plaque,” WebMD.com Alzheimer’s Disease Health Center, Aug 8, 2012

More, S.S., Vartak, A.P., and Vince, R., “The Butter Flavorant, Diacetyl, Exacerbates â-Amyloid Cytotoxicity,” Chem. Res. Toxicol. July 2012