the tertiary butlhydroquinone (BHQT) or E319 surely doesn’t mean anything to you. However, this additive is used in many foods, including ultra-processed products and oils, breakfast cereals, cake mixes, soups and broths, frozen meats and fish, and chewing gum. Judge “Unsavory”by the consumer association UFC-What to Choose, however, it is not systematically mentioned in the list of ingredients.
An American study, presented on April 7 at the annual congress of experimental biology in Orlando (United States), once again suggests its suspicious character. According to researchers at Michigan State University, E319 tends to weaken our immune responses, especially against flu virus. A discovery that would explain the high number of cases of the disease and respiratory complications associated with it.
The function of some white blood cells suppressed
When an individual is infected with the virus, several cells come into play. White blood cells, helper T cells (CD4 T) coordinate the response of the immune system, while killer T cells (CD8 T) track down infected cells and eliminate them.
Scientists have found that a diet rich in BHQT “Suppressed the function of helper T cells and killer T cells” in mice. This worsened their flu-like symptoms: they had generalized inflammation and mucus production in the lungs.
Consequences on immune memory
But this slower response against the virus is not the only consequence of E319 on the body. The food additive would also affect the memory of the immune system itself. He or she will no longer know how to react to the infection, especially when it is touched by another related source. A phenomenon that resulted in longer recovery and greater weight loss in mice following the BGQT-rich diet.
“It is important for the body to be able to recognize a virus and know how to fight it effectively. That’s the whole point of vaccines: to stimulate this memory and produce immunity, explains study co-author Robert Freeborn in a press release. If you receive a vaccine, but part of the immune system does not learn to recognize and fight cells infected with a virus, then the vaccine will be less effective. “
Finally, E319 would tend to upregulate the production of certain proteins, CTLA-4 and IL-10, known to weaken the immune system. But further research is needed to confirm this, the authors point out.
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