A new US study suggests that a common food additive found in many products, such as frozen meats, crackers and fried food, may have a harmful impact on the immune system's response to influenza and may worsen the severity of symptoms.
According to the study presented Sunday at the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics held April 6-9, the tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), which is largely used to stabilize fats in processed foods, affects the T cells, a vital component of the immune system, and weakens the immune response to influenza.
In their study conducted in mice, the researchers suggested that mice on a tBHQ diet had a weakened immune response to flu infection, as the additive suppressed the function of two types of T cells: helper and killer T cells. Ultimately, this led to more severe symptoms during a subsequent influenza infection.
When a person is infected with influenza virus, helper T cells direct other parts of the immune system and help coordinate an appropriate response, while killer T cells hunt down infected cells and clear them from the body.
In their experiments, the researchers found mice eating a tBHQ-spiked diet were slower to activate both helper T cells and killer T cells, resulting in slower clearance of the virus.
Robert Freeborn, a fourth-year PhD candidate at Michigan State University, told Asharq Al-Awsat in an email: "This study emphasizes the need to replace this additive with alternatives that don't affect the immune response."
Until that time, Freeborn advised people to adopt a low-fat diet and reduce their consumption of processed snacks.
.png?w=600)
