Let’s face it, highly processed foods are simply the worst for your health. There’s nothing good that can be said about them. And the fact is, when we eat them we don’t have a clue what it is we’re actually swallowing.

You see, although processed foods are packed full of artificial flavors, colors, chemicals and preservatives many of those chemicals… and their amounts… aren’t ever listed individually on the ingredients list. And make no mistake about it, that’s by design.

Big Food has worked long and hard to keep it that way. They claim the amounts of these mysterious chemicals are so low they couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. But the science says their claims don’t hold water.

Food preservative linked to allergies

For example,  new research has revealed that a common chemical food preservative… one that often goes unlisted on food labels… could be triggering terrible allergies. According to researchers it turns out this petroleum-derived chemical called tert-Butylhydroquinone, or tBHQ, could be literally altering how certain immune cells in your body work.

More on that in a moment, but let’s first take a closer look at tBHQ.

This chemical is used to extend the shelf life of certain foods preserving color and preventing them from going rancid. tHBQ is used in products that contain fats such as animal fats and vegetable oils. It’s found in a huge number of processed foods even if you don’t see it on the label including frozen foods, snack crackers, noodles and fast foods.

Food additive may alter immune cell function

You’ve probably heard of T-cells before. They’re central to your body’s immune response. T-cells are responsible for releasing the cytockines that help fight off infection and disease-linked inflammation.

But when lab animals were exposed to the food preservative tBHQ something shocking happened. Instead of the infection and inflammation fighting cytokines we would expect to see, the rat’s T-cells released the cytokines that trigger food allergies. Those linked to milk, shellfish, wheat and egg were triggered the most.

Which, of course, raises some important questions.

Since tBHQ has become so widely used as our dependence on processed foods has grown, could this chemical have played a role in why food allergies have skyrocketed a staggering 50 percent in kids in just 15 years? Or could it be why many kids are no longer outgrowing childhood allergies as we once did?

More research is needed but where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. And with literally millions of adults now suffering with food allergies—many never diagnosed—these findings are already troubling to say the least.

Government study linked tHBQ to increased tumors

This isn’t the first time this preservative has come under questions either According to the Centers for Science in the Public Interest a government study had already linked tHBQ at higher levels to an increase in tumors in animal experiments. And the National Library of Medicine says that some vision disturbances have been reported by people consuming the chemical.

It’s often found in breads and breading so frozen foods such as fish sticks, waffles, crackers, chicken tenders and chicken nuggets are likely to contain some tHBQ.

And although tHBQ is often not listed on food labels sometimes it… or related chemicals… will be, so look for any of the following preservative names…

• tert-butylhydroquinone
• tertiary butylhydroquinone
• TBHQ

Even if you or a loved one isn’t living with a food allergy (yet) you’ll be better off avoiding processed foods that contain tHBQ and other chemical preservatives like it. Simply cut back on processed foods as much as possible and pick fresh ingredients instead.

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