Effects+of+BHT

**BHT Side Effects**
Studies performed on rats demonstrated liver and kidney damage at doses of 0.5 to 1.0 grams per kilogram. This is the equivalent of a 160 pound adult taking 73 grams per day. Compare this to a typical suppressing dose of 0.25 to 0.50 grams per day and a typical dosage for an acute outbreak of 1.0 to 2.0 grams per day. No evidence was noted for BHT causing cancer and conflicting results were obtained regarding effects on the immune system, tumor formation and other effects. Again all of these tests were done on rats and usually using high doses far in excess of therapeutic dosages. BHT is metabolized by the liver and some of the rat experiments showed a suppression of liver enzymes and enlargement of the liver. This implies a degree of liver toxicity if the dose is high enough. At what dose a human might experience some degree of liver toxicity is unclear. Liver toxicity is a common side effect of a great many medications including some common over the counter pain relievers. If you are taking BHT or choose to take BHT, consider asking your doctor to do a blood test to measure your liver enzymes. A large number of individuals have taken BHT in therapeutic doses for extended periods of time with no reported adverse effects. A case was reported in The New England Journal of Medicine of a patient who took 4 grams of BHT as a single dose on an empty stomach and experienced severe gastric pain, nausea, vomiting and dehydration. To be fair, a number of substances including aspirin, vitamin and mineral supplements some foods and many common medications can produce similar effects when taken on an empty stomach. Additional anecdotal reports indicated that BHT may cause hives in a few individuals who are sensitive to BHT. BHT was also observed to temporarily cause a decrease in blood clotting when individuals first begin taking it in substantial doses. One individual reported dizziness and disorientation when taking 3 grams per day. His symptoms disappeared when he dropped his dose down to 250 mg. per day. There are a few physicians who regularly prescribe BHT for herpes treatment and outbreak prevention and consider it safe. There have been no formal clinical trials on humans to definitively determine the safety status of BHT.

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