The flavoring diacetyl has already been linked to lung damage in people who work in microwave popcorn factories. A study from University of Minnesota now finds that the chemical worsens the effects of an abnormal brain protein call beta amyloid.
So far, these effects have only been seen in test-tube studies. More studies are needed to see if diacetyl acts the same way in living animals and or people. The results of the study are reported in the online edition of Chemical Research in Toxicology.
