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