Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) occurrence, breakdown products and health risks
What it found
Several studies found BHA could harm the thyroid, growth, nerves and metabolism, and might cause cancer.
Food is the main way people take it in.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
How harm might happen
The harmful effects appear tied to hormone disruption, DNA damage, and changes in energy use. Extra reactive oxygen molecules and calcium imbalances may also play a role.
Studies in people and animals
Thyroid and growth effects
Several studies showed BHA could damage the thyroid system. It was also linked to problems with metabolism and growth.
Nerve damage and cancer
Studies found BHA could harm the nervous system. It was also linked to cancer development.
Other findings
Where people encounter BHA
Eating food is the main way people take in BHA. It has been found in many environmental samples and in human tissues.
How BHA breaks down
Under different conditions, BHA turns into different breakdown products. One major product is called tert-butyl hydroquinone, or TBHQ.
What the authors conclude
- They say avoiding the harmful effects of BHA as much as possible should be a top priority.
- They advise that future research should focus on finding safe and environmentally friendly replacements for BHA.
How it was done
BHA is widely added to food to slow spoilage, so it ends up in many environments and human tissues. The authors wanted to gather what is known about its presence and effects.
The authors gathered existing research on where BHA is found, how it breaks down in the body, and its health effects. They did not run new experiments or study a set number of people or animals.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work gathers past studies rather than testing BHA directly, so it cannot prove BHA causes these harms on its own.
- Some findings come from cells or animals, which may not match what happens in people eating small amounts in food.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Hubei Key Laboratory of Environmental and Health Effects of Persistent Toxic Substances; National Natural Science Foundation of China (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, China
The paper
- Title
- A review of the occurrence, metabolites and health risks of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Zhang XJ, Diao MN, Zhang YF (2023). A review of the occurrence, metabolites and health risks of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.12676PubMed 37127924DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error