Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) are antioxidants in various consumable and non-consumable products. BHA and BHT are barely uncommon ingredients in some daily consumer goods purchased today. One might notice BHA and BHT as ingredients by looking keenly at the ingredients in some of the typical snacks like chips, chewing gum, or cosmetic products. Regarding the likelihood of genotoxicity in Allium cepa L. roots related to BHA and BHT, both components are added to such products to enhance freshness and thus increase the shelf life of various products. Whether or not BHA and BHT are safe, especially in consumer products, remains debatable due to conflicting evidence.
BHA and BHT are artificial food preservatives. The food processing industry adds small amounts of artificial preservatives to enhance products’ shelf life. BHA and BHT come from petroleum. BHA is a waxy solid product that comes from reacting isobutylene with 4-methoxyphenol. BHT comes from racing para-cresol and isobutylene. While they are not ingredients in a typical kitchen, they are common ingredients in most foods individuals consume daily, including cereal and snacks. Based on an article on the likelihood of genotoxicity in Allium cepa L. roots related to BHA and BHT, both products are also found in cosmetics, rubber, pharmaceuticals, and vegetable oil (Pandey & Kumar, 2021). Conversely, since they are soluble fats, they get easily absorbed and build up in the body’s fatty tissues. The long-term build-up of BHA and BHT becomes a likely health concern.
There are multiple health concerns regarding BHA and BHT consumption and eventual long-term build-up in the body. Both products may pose carcinogenic risks. The products can be harmful if they are added to food in large quantities. According to a research examining the risk of cancer in rodents with chronic dietary exposure to high BHT levels, BHT caused tumors in the rodents (Felter et al., 2021). However, another study on BHT prevention of N-nitroso diethylamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in albino rats revealed the likelihood of carcinogenic protection effects in BHT. The study showed the possibility of preventing the progression of mammary cancers (Fahim et al., 2023). Besides cancers, BHT can disrupt hormones in the human body, mainly triggering allergic reactions and neurological problems. A 2021 study investigating a new approach to assessing BHT as an endocrine disruption confirmed BHT as a significant endocrine disruptor (de Abrew et al., 2022). In particular, BHT can mimic or disrupt hormone function, posing substantial risks, especially for special populations like pregnant women and children.
A fair question would be why BHT and BHA are still allowed in food processing, even with concrete evidence about their potential health risks. Pandey and Kumar (2021), mention that food and safety regulatory agencies should ban BHT and BHA use as food additives. Food manufacturers and processors may argue that the amounts of BHA and BHT added in food processing are too low to cause significant health risks. Nevertheless, the long-term consumption of both fats is still concerning.
In conclusion, agencies like the Food and Drug Administration should consider restricting the use of both compounds in food processing. Finding alternative preservatives can help alleviate the health risks associated with BHA and BHT. In addition, the responsibility for food safety falls on consumers. People should read food labels carefully and consider choosing brands without BHA, BHT, or other harmful artificial additives. Still, expanding access to organic and fresh food can help alleviate the rate of consuming processed foods with hazardous additives like BHT and BHA.
Article by Ekaterina J. Yarley
References
De Abrew, K. N., Natoli, T., Lester, C. C., Wang, X., Shobair, M., Subramanian, A., & Daston, G. P. (2022). A new approach methodology (NAM) based assessment of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) for endocrine disruption potential. Toxicological Sciences, 190(2), 227-241. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36161505/
Fahim, S. A., Ibrahim, S., Tadros, S. A., & Badary, O. A. (2023). Protective effects of butylated hydroxytoluene on the initiation of N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in albino rats. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 42, 09603271231165664. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09603271231165664
Felter, S. P., Zhang, X., & Thompson, C. (2021). Butylated hydroxyanisole: Carcinogenic food additive to be avoided or harmless antioxidant important to protect food supply?. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 121, 104887. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230021000271
Pandey, H., & Kumar, S. (2021). Butylated hydroxytoluene and Butylated hydroxyanisole induced cyto-genotoxicity in root cells of Allium cepa L. Heliyon, 7(5). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8141894/
