BHT, a common preservative in cosmetics and oils, protected nerve cells from a type of cell death called ferroptosis in lab tests and in rats with Alzheimer's-like symptoms. It worked by stopping harmful fat oxidation and restoring a key protective enzyme. However, these results are from cells and animals—not human skin or bodies yet.

Researchers tested BHT on human nerve cells in a dish, measuring its ability to prevent cell death from two different triggers. They also gave BHT to rats with Alzheimer's disease symptoms and checked if it reduced ferroptosis-related gene activity.

Funding not disclosed in abstract