Food additives harm immune system

Q: I keep hearing that in a lot of foods there are hidden additives that can weaken the immune system. Is that true? Seems pretty risky and dumb during a pandemic.

Hannah D., Portland, Oregon

A: There are a lot of additives and ingredients in foods that have a negative effect on immune strength. Added sugars and trans fats, for example. But you may be referring to a new Environmental Working Group study that reveals foods such as processed snacks, popcorn, frozen fish and chicken nuggets contain a preservative designed to prevent or delay oxidation called tert-butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ.

Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the study looked at data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicity Forecaster, or ToxCast, to assess the health hazards of TBHQ, as well as the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS (per- or poly-fluorinated substances), which can migrate into food from packaging.

EWG found 1,250 processed, packaged foods contain TBHQ, which animal and lab tests have found harm the immune system. True, there are no human clinical trials of the common preservative on how it impacts disability or survival, but immunological studies do show that TBHQ alters your immune system’s T- , B- and natural killer-cell functions and changes how receptors are expressed and inflammatory substances are produced.

The EWG also analyzed publicly available studies that show how PFAS, used as a preservative when added to packaging, migrates into food and what it does to the immune system. This epidemiological research makes it clear that PFAS suppresses immune function and decreases vaccine efficacy. Other recently published research also found a link between high levels of PFAS in the blood and the severity of COVID19.

You can reduce exposure to TBHQ and PFAS by buying fresh, minimally processed and unpackaged foods, avoiding fast foods and reducing your use of and acceptance of plastic containers.