Butter Flavoring Linked To Alzheimer's If you've been looking
for one more thing to worry about, here it is. If you're a fan
of butter-flavored microwave popcorn, a new study finds a
flavoring used in the product may trigger Alzheimer's disease.
University of Minnesota drug-design expert Robert Vince, PhD,
and colleagues found that diacetyl causes brain proteins to
misfold into the Alzheimer's-linked form called beta amyloid.
Vince's team also found that diacetyl has an architecture
similar to a substance that makes beta-amyloid proteins clump
together in the brain -- clumping being a hallmark of
Alzheimer's disease. Even more, the popcorn butter flavorant can
pass through the blood-brain barrier and can inhibit the brain's
natural amyloid-clearing mechanisms. Diacetyl, already linked to
lung damage in people who work in microwave popcorn factories,
is also used to produce the distinctive buttery flavor and aroma
of margarines, snack foods, candy, baked goods, pet foods, and
even some chardonnays.(Tipped by J