MSG

We've all heard about MSG (monosodium glutamate). We've all heard that it's bad, but many of us are simply unaware that despite our attempts to avoid it, we may still be consuming it . When my children were little, I scrupulously read labels looking for 'monosodium glutamate' and avoided anything that contained it - or so I thought. What I didn't know was that there are MANY additives that are basically MSG and act like MSG in the brain and body, but since they are derived differently, they don't have to be labeled as such.

I’m not going to bore you with the details of the sordid history of MSG, but I will tell you what it does and how deceptive it is. It makes things taste better than real. So if it tastes too good to be true and it’s from a package or a restaurant, it probably is too good to be true.

Glutamate is a natural amino acid used by the brain as a neurotransmitter. Neurons are nerve cells that communicate to one another by firing electrical impulses. Neurotransmitters are the carriers of communication between the neurons. Glutamate is found naturally in many foods, but it is in a bound form. When it is processed it becomes free glutamic acid (unbound). When neurons are exposed to free-glutamic acid, which is what MSG is, the nerve cells become very excited and they fire their impulses very rapidly until they reach a state of extreme exhaustion. Several hours later these neurons die, as if they were excited to death. The nerve cells die. Neuroscientists have dubbed this class of chemical “excitotoxins”.(Excitotoxins, The Taste That KIlls, Russell L. Blaylock M.D., introduction p.xx)

According to a study published recently in the journal Obesity, people who use monosodium glutamate, or MSG, as a flavor enhancer in their food are more likely than people who don't use it to be overweight or obese even though they have the same amount of physical activity and total calorie intake, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health study published in the journal Obesity.( http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/uonc-urf081308.php)

Side effects of MSG consumption include rapid heartbeat, dizziness, behavioral problems, ringing in the ears, tingling in hands and feet, clumsiness, asthma symptoms, shortness of breath and migraine headaches. The doses of MSG found in many restaurant meals equal or exceed experimental doses that REGULARLY produce brain lesions in animals.

MSG is also one of the many chemicals used in vaccines. What effect this may have on the recipient is unknown, but it is presumed to be safe as are all the other ingredients in vaccines.

The tricky thing about MSG is that because of the current labeling laws and the food industry’s influence on those laws, it is not always obvious to the consumer that an item contains MSG. There are many other food additives that contain MSG or some form of it, so if those additives are used, MSG does not have to be listed on the label. Knowing what other items might contain MSG will prove valuable to your scrutiny of labels and the danger of dead neurons can be averted or diminished.

When reading your label, look for the following ingredients: ajinomoto annatto aspartame autolyzed anything autolyzed yeast autolyzed yeast extract barley malt beef base beef flavoring beef stock bouillon broth calcium caseinate carrageenan caseinate chicken base chicken broth chicken flavoring chicken stock cornstarch disodium caseinate disodium guanylate disodium inosinate dough conditioner(s) flavoring(s) gelatin gelatinized anything glutamate guar gum hydrolyzed anything hydrolyzed oat flour hydrolyzed plant protein hydrolyzed protein hydrolyzed vegetable protein kombu extract l-cysteine malt malt syrup malt flavoring(s) malt extract malted anything malted barley malted barley flour maltodextrin milk solids, powder modified food starch monopotassium glutamate monosodium glutamate natural flavor(s) natural flavoring(s) nutrasweet pectin pork base pork flavoring protease protein concentrate protein extract protein: wheat, rice, or oat seasoned salt seasoning(s) smoke flavoring(s) sodium caseinate solids soup base soy extract soy protein soy protein concentrate, isolate soy sauce spice(s) stock textured protein umami vegetable gum whey whey protein whey protein isolate whey protein concentrate yeast extract, nutrients E620s + 630s Enriched (vit., enzyme, protein) ultra-pasteurized anything

Interesting HFCS story

Here’s an interesting story about high fructose corn syrup. I was on a committee with some other parents at a small public school (approximately 250 children) that attempted to improve the school lunch program by proposing a pilot program that would be funded through grants and include a research study as part of the project. The proposed improvements were to remove additives and preservatives (including high fructose corn syrup) from the school food and to replace the current meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables with their organic counterparts as much as possible. The principal of the school and the director of the district nutrition services were fully supportive of this attempt. Researchers were standing by.

Shortly after the idea was presented to the district Board of Education, a small TV spot about the proposed change aired on a local station. Within two days of the TV story, a Fed Ex envelope from Washington D.C. arrived at the school from the Corn Refiner’s Association. The letter stated that they heard about our proposed change and they wanted to educate us about corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup. The packet contained several pamphlets and a two-page letter stating that high fructose corn syrup was no different than table sugar (commonly called sucrose). Yet in the literature they stated “the only difference between HFCS and sucrose metabolism is the action of the enzyme sucrase in the small intestine.” Sucrase is the enzyme required for the breakdown process of sucrose. In other words, their statement admits that there IS a difference in the way the two sugars are broken down in the small intestine, which you will remember, is the place that 80% of your immune system is connected to. The letter also contained 4 photocopied menus from the school with the items crossed out which would “no longer be available” to our children if we were to remove their products from the nutrition program. There was hardly anything left! In fact, there were days that every item was crossed through – including yogurt, meats, fruits and veggies!

Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup?

You read right. A recent investigation revealed that "significant levels of mercury were found in 45% of (High Fructose Corn Syrup - HFCS) samples analyzed." From this study it is estimated that the potential average daily mercury exposure from HFCS could range from 0 to 28 micrograms.

An Environmental Health Officer from the FDA conducted an investigation to find missing mercury from the chlor-alkali industry. Mercury, a potent neurotoxin, is a regulated toxic substance and tons of it were unaccounted for at the chlor-alkali plants in the U.S. These plants produce mercury grade caustic soda which is "primarily used by the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) industry". It is one of the main ingredients used in the process to produce HFCS. The officer realized that some of the mercury residue may have ended up in the end product, thus the investigation was launched. To read more go to: http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2

28 micrograms may not seem like a whole lot for a body to have to process, but let's look at some HFCS facts:

*HFCS is found in almost almost all processed foods - soda, candy, granola bars,crackers, bread, yogurt, peanut butter, jelly, salad dressing,lunch meat, juice drinks, canned fruits and vegetables and MOST foods marketed to children.
*Most fats are formed in your liver. When sugar enters your liver it decides whether to store it, burn it or turn it into fat. Most sugars have a breakdown process in your body. While the HFCS industry claims that it is similar to table sugar, HFCS does not use sucrase (the enzyme used to break down sucrose - table sugar) to break it down. It bypasses the breakdown process and goes straight to the liver intact where it is then converted to fat.
* HFCS is implicated in multiple chronic conditions: obesity, diabetes, hyperactivity, tantrums, lethargy, irritability and cravings.
* It is estimated that the average daily consumption of HFCS is approximately 50g (200 calories) per person, according to a USDA website.( i.e.. 10% of a daily diet - sound healthy?)

So should you be worried? If you are a high end consumer of HFCS (i.e. - consume more than the average 50 g.), YES! High end consumers are people who consume a lot of soda, children who eat a lot of processed food (including school lunches), and those who eat out a lot - and not just at fast food restaurants. So 50g of HFCS may be a conservative estimate for some. If a child is a high end consumer, the potential adverse effects of the mercury - and the HFCS itself - are magnified simply because a child's body is so much smaller than an adult's. Also, consider all the other sources of exposure to mercury - water, fish, amalgam fillings - and you have a potential problem on your hands.

Signs of mercury toxicity include ,but are not limited to, attention problems, sensory problems, clumsiness, loss of hair, teeth or nails, itchy skin, memory problems, hypertension and it can be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's.

What can you do? READ YOUR LABELS! Don't eat out a lot. Avoid high fructose corn syrup. There are alternates for virtually everything that contains HFCS. Also, keep in mind that the mercury residue was found in U.S. products. There is no regulation for overseas HFCS production/consumption - and China has super high mercury emissions.

P.S. For interesting story on HFCS and school lunches, see tomorrow's post.

Welcome to Rebecca's Healthy Bytes!

Every day we make choices that impact our health. Many of the choices we make are so much a part of our lives and our habits that we don’t even realize that we’ve made a choice. The vast majority of Americans suffer from one chronic illness or another – obesity, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, learning disorders, ear infections, asthma, allergies and the list goes on. These conditions are so common that sometimes they are viewed as just a minor inconvenience, once we learn how to manage them so that they make the least impact on our lifestyle that is.

Unfortunately, when we look no further than the management of these conditions we are not doing ourselves any favors. “Management” often entails the use of pharmaceuticals that carry their own long-term effects, so often one chronic condition will lead to another and it becomes a vicious cycle that is very hard, if not impossible, to break. Hippocrates said: “Disease does not occur unexpectedly. It is the result of constant violation of Nature’s laws. Spreading and accumulation of such violations transpire suddenly in the form of a disease – but it only seems that sudden.” In other words, the accumulation of toxic insults results in disease. Perhaps if we made choices that are in accordance with “Nature’s law”, we might begin to see a decrease in the incidence of chronic diseases. Perhaps it is possible to reverse or partially reverse some of these conditions through our daily lifestyle choices. This blog will explore some of those daily lifestyle choices and serve as a guide to those who would like to make changes to improve their quality of life. Let's make our lives and our planet healthier - one choice at at time!