MSG-free: Avoiding the Hidden Sources

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MSG-free: Avoiding the Hidden Sources JoAnn Guest Sep 01, 2005 17:43 PDT

July 23, 1999

--In

this story:

What is MSG toxicity syndrome?

Symptoms that MSG can bring on

What the future may hold for the players in the MSG debate

 

RELATEDS

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(WebMD)

-- Sufferers of monosodium glutamate (MSG) toxicity syndromes have

long been dismissed by the makers of glutamate and food additives

and by the FDA, whose labeling standards for foods containing the

controversial flavor enhancer are fairly lax.

For many of these MSG sufferers, the experience of coping with the

ambiguities of food labeling leaves them feeling like Han Solo

navigating his way through an asteroid field.

 

Not only is it confusing -- it can be very dangerous.

 

What is MSG toxicity syndrome?

 

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) toxicity syndrome occurs in response to

free-glutamic acid, which is a breakdown product of protein after it

has been " processed " by a food manufacturer.

 

While all protein has glutamic acid bound in it, it is only the

glutamic acid that has been freed from the protein before it is

consumed that causes the reactions.

 

Growing numbers of patients and physicians and some scientists are

convinced that the ingestion of this processed free-glutamic acid

can cause adverse reactions in one or more organs of the body.

 

In 1969, H. H. Schaumburg, an MSG researcher who helped educate the

public and the medical industry about the dangers of MSG, concluded that

up to 30 percent of the population had sensitivity reactions from the

MSG in an ordinary diet.

 

Symptoms that MSG can bring on

 

Reported MSG reactions, which can occur as a result of consuming

even small amounts

(much less than the 1/2 gram the FDA considers to be low),

include migraines;

hives; mouth eruptions;

numbness; tingling;

swelling of mucous membranes in the oral, gastrointestinal or

reproductive tract;

asthma; runny nose;

insomnia;

seizures;

mood swings;

panic attacks;

diarrhea; and

cardiac irregularities.

 

Sufferers of MSG's effects are not experiencing an " allergy. "

Instead, they are experiencing the results of direct nerve

" stimulation " and possible " nerve damage " , although the latter has not

been verified in humans.

 

Emergency room physician George R. Schwartz, author of " In Bad

Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex, "

says MSG is a " neurotoxin, "

a substance that actually " induces " nerve changes and possible nerve

damage.

 

Despite the fact that MSG causes known toxic reactions, and despite

the fact that some labeling does exist, MSG-sensitive individuals

are still at risk for becoming severely ill from food they buy at the

store or order off a menu.

 

1. Most processed foods contain MSG.

 

Kathleen Schwartz, president of NoMSG, a New Mexico-based nonprofit

group, explains that MSG is deceptively represented as a

" natural " additive

on many containers and in some natural-food departments as well.

" Anything that tastes good ...

 

all of the fast foods, flavored chips,

most of the condiments,

most salad dressings,

most processed lunch meats,

most sausages,

soups off the grocery shelf, " she says,

 

are likely to contain MSG.

 

2. Seasonings and basic food staples contain MSG.

 

Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., co-director and founder of the Truth in

Labeling Campaign (TLC), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to

promote " full and clear labeling "

of all food, says that the unwary consumer is quite

vulnerable to the unintended ingestion of MSG. In doing research for

a TLC report,

 

Samuels found that the glutamate and food-additive industry is adept

at " disguising " the presence of MSG in foods.

 

" Bouillon, stock, broth,

malt flavoring, barley malt, seasonings,

carrageenan, soy sauce, soy protein,

whey protein and anything enzyme-modified, " she writes,

 

" always contain MSG. "

 

3. MSG by any other name is just the same.

 

Samuels notes that the FDA has demonstrated a curious relaxation of its

usual standards for

product labeling.

" With some exceptions, " she writes, " the FDA requires that

ingredients -- MSG-containing ingredients included -- must be called

by their common or usual names. "

 

The FDA uses the term " monosodium glutamate " for ingredients that

are a 99 percent pure combination of

glutamic acid and sodium.

 

However, most of the MSG-containing foods

that cause MSG syndrome are *not* 99 percent pure and are allowed to

be labeled obscurely:

" monopotassium glutamate, "

" autolyzed yeast, "

" hydrolyzed soy protein "

and " sodium caseinate "

are " examples " of ingredients that

 

always contain MSG.

 

4. The FDA won't tighten its standards.

 

In 1994 TLC attempted through a petition to pressure the FDA " to

require that processed free-glutamic

acid be clearly labeled when used in food. "

That petition -- and a subsequent lawsuit -- were not successful.

 

The court ruled that the

FDA, being a food-industry expert, did not have to disclose the

basis of its conclusion that current labeling standards adequately

protected the public.

 

What the future may hold for the players in the MSG debate

 

MSG proponents are currently facing a new battle -- one with

potentially far-reaching legal repercussions.

 

In a recent, well- publicized legal case, a California man, Mr.

Livingston, initially lost a suit that was recently reversed on appeal

and set for retrial.

 

Livingston's complaint

is against a restaurant that had served him a vegetable soup that

had been made with a beef base containing MSG.

 

After " consuming " it, he suffered an asthma attack and cardiac

arrest.

 

" The restaurant had a 'duty to warn' this man of the dangers of the MSG

content of the food, " says attorney Howard Goldstein,

who represented Livingston

and who likens the case to the current tobacco industry lawsuits.

 

Goldstein says he is more aware of the dangers of MSG as a result of

his involvement with this case. A member of his own family suffered

from MSG sensitivity.

 

" At a time when we were eating a lot of foods

containing MSG, " he says, " during the meal she would start having

vision changes, cramping and asthma.

 

At least once or twice a year for a dozen or so years we would be

making emergency room visits, usually on the Friday or

Saturday night after eating out, to get to respiratory therapy. "

 

Goldstein says that after getting involved in the Livingston case

and

learning to eliminate MSG from the family diet, the trips to the

emergency room have not occurred for five years.

 

But until relief arrives, consumers must navigate on their own.

=====================================================================

Health and Nutrition Secrets that Can Save Your Life

---

 

by Dr. Russell Blaylock

 

Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life covers some of

the hottest topics in health and nutrition:

 

heavy metal toxicity

the food additive controversy

 

Health and Nutrition Secrets also presents the latest information on

strokes and heart attacks, diabetes, protecting the digestive system,

and the best ways to keep the immune system young and powerful.

 

Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon, combines many

years of medical practice with study of thousands of research studies to

create this monumental book.

----

Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills

Book Description (from the publisher)

 

Nutrasweet (Aspartame) has been scientifically linked to brain

tumors, brain cell damage and neurological conditions such as

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

 

According to author Russell Blaylock, MD, a practicing, board-certified

neurosurgeon, we are witnessing enormous damage to the brain and nervous

system due to the ever-increasing amount of Nutrasweet and other

excitotoxic subtances added to our foods.

 

With detailed accuracy citing well over five hundred scientific

studies, Neurosurgeon Blaylock explores the " must-know " dangers of

these substances being added indiscriminately to our food supply.

 

Mike Wallace of " 60 Minutes " and his research team used the book

Excitotoxins:

The Taste That Kills, as one of their sources to report

on the increasing evidence of a brain tumor connection.

 

Their December 29, 1996, program didn't, however, delve into the

enormous " epidemic " of illness caused by the increasing use of these

substances.

 

Dr. Blaylock's book exposes it all in detail--from the questionable

history of " approvals " in the 1970s and the 1980s to the increasing

body of evidence showing serious " brain effects " , government inaction,

and industry propaganda and " cover-up " .

 

The use of aspartame, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and monosodium

glutamate in prepared foods and beverages continues to increase on a

yearly basis.

 

Dr. Blaylock clearly demonstrates that the " neurotoxic "

potential of excitotoxins such as MSG and aspartame (NUTRASWEET ) is

so overwhelming that it can no longer be ignored.

 

Table of Contents:

A Crash Course in How the Brain Works - Very Special Amino Acids -

What Is an Amino Acid? -

Exciting Cells to Death - Effect of Excitotoxins on the Developing Brain

- Creeping Death: The Neurodegenerative Diseases -

 

Alzheimer's Disease: A Classic Case of Excitotoxin Damage - Seizures -

Headaches - Brain Injury - Strokes:

Ischemia-Anoxia Hypoglycemia - AIDS Dementia - Aspartame, Brain

Tumors and the FDA

---

So what are " excitotoxins " ?

 

Basically, they are a group of compounds that can cause special neurons

within the nervous system to become " overexcited " to the point that

these cells will die.

 

That's right, they are excited to death.

 

Excitotoxins include such things as monosodium glutamate (MSG),

aspartate (a main ingredient in NutraSweet),

L-cysteine (found in hydrolyzed vegetable protein)

and related compounds.

 

What makes this all the more intriguing is that " excitotoxins " appear to

play a key role in " degenerative nervous system " diseases such as

Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's, ALS (Lou

Gehrig's disease) and many others.

 

But the story doesn't stop there. It appears that an imbalance of

these excitotoxins during critical periods of brain development can

result in an abnormal formation of brain pathways; that is,

a " miswiring of the brain. "

 

This may lead to serious disorders such as behavioral problems

(hyperactivity, aggression, attention deficit

disorders, learning disorders, poor learning ability, and ADD)-and a

lifetime of endocrine problems such as menstrual difficulties,

infertility, and premature puberty.

 

One of the earliest observations seen in animals exposed to large

doses of MSG was gross obesity.

 

Some neuroscientists have voiced concern that America's explosion of

childhood obesity may be related to excitotoxins in food.

 

 

-

 

MANIPULATING THE LANGUAGE (AND THE DATA)

---

 

The defenders of 'glutamate safety' have gone through an evolving

litany of defenses. First, they denied that brain lesions could

result from any dose of glutamate. Then, when the evidence became

overwhelming, they claimed that these lesions only occurred when MSG

was injected and not ingested.

 

When this was disproved, they denied that human blood levels could

reach concentrations that would be toxic to the brain.

 

When this was shown not to be true, even by one of their own

defenders, they simply stated, " So what?

 

It still cannot enter the brain because of the blood brain barrier. "

(This is a special " gatekeeper " that normally excludes toxic chemicals

from

entering the brain from the blood.)

 

But, as even shown by the government-sponsored FASEB report, the

brain has several vital areas that have no barrier.

 

(For example, the hypothalamus.)

 

And it was shown that glutamate can pass into protected areas of the

brain by seeping through the " unprotected "

areas.

 

Also, there are many medical conditions that cause the barrier

to fail, such as hypertension, diabetes, brain tumors, brain trauma,

heat stroke, vascular stroke, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerate

diseases, and with some medications. All of these people would be at

great risk.

--

 

BRAIN DAMAGE, NOT AN ALLERGIC REACTION

---

I often hear people say, " But I'm not sensitive to MSG. Chinese food

doesn't bother me. " This is a dangerous mistake.

 

The destructive effects of MSG and related compounds is not an allergic

reaction, it is a " toxic " reaction that occurs in virtually everyone.

Some are more sensitive to these destructive effects than others, but

everyone is " affected " to some degree.

 

The MSG-symptom complex differs from the excitoxic reaction. The

former is quite obvious to the person (headaches, pressure in the

chest, heart palpitations, numbness in the arms and face, etc.),

while the latter may remain clinically silent for many years.

 

 

--

 

SILENT LESIONS

 

What makes " excitotoxins " so dangerous is the subtle way in which

they damage the nervous system. Often the damage goes on for years,

even decades, before clinically recognizable disease is evident.

 

For example, when an unborn child is exposed to MSG in the mother's

diet, behavioral and learning difficulties may not become evident until

the child starts school.

 

Endocrine problems may not surface until puberty

or when the person is trying to start a family.

 

Degenerative brain diseases, such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's

disease may take even longer.

 

It is the slow, unrelenting destruction of brain cells-secondary to

exposure to food-born excitotoxins-that may lead to either the

precipitation of these diseases or their

aggravation.

--

SO WHY WON'T THE FDA COME OUT AND SAY MSG IS DANGEROUS?

---

For one thing, there appears to be a revolving door between the FDA

and the manufacturers of and companies that use MSG. We often see

that directors of the FDA on review panels suddenly appear some time

later either working for the industry or with firms that support the

industry.

 

In the FASEB report, the FDA gleaned the wording that it wanted and

packaged it so that it would say exactly what they wanted.

 

For example, they reported that the study found no link between

ingested MSG and neurodegenerative diseases.

 

But in truth, what the report said was that no studies have been done to

even see if there is a

link.

 

That is, no one is looking at these critical questions.

 

Second, the FASEB investigators took the industry's studies on daily

intakes of MSG at face value. This is ludicrous.

 

Why won't the food processors release the data on how much MSG and other

excitotoxic additives they add to each food item?

 

What is interesting is that the FASEB study did say that they did

consider concentration less than three grams a day as safe, which

would imply that more than that is definitely dangerous.

 

But even this is questionable.

---

 

NUTRASWEET AND CANCER

 

Can NutraSweet cause brain tumors, uterine and ovarian cancer?

Research from its own laboratories says it can. In fact, that was why it

was first rejected by the FDA for human consumption.

 

This study found that, in all concentrations examined, NutraSweet

produced a very high incidence of brain tumors.

 

(The high dose NutraSweet caused a 47X increase in brain tumors over

control animals.) Also found were uterine and ovarian tumors.

 

The number of tumors produced seemed to be dose related. That is, the

more NutraSweet consumed, the more likely tumors would develop. It

appears that it is a breakdown product of NutraSweet called

diketopiperizine (DKP) that is causing the tumors.

 

Interestingly,

with the passage of time more and more NutraSweet breaks down into

DKP.

 

This is why the soft drink companies have started to date diet

colas.

 

Heating NutraSweet also speeds up this process. This is why

using NutraSweet in hot beverages and for cooking is especially

hazardous.

 

There has been an enormous increase in the number of brain tumors

reported over the last decade. No other explanation has been given

for this incredible explosion of brain tumors.

 

If the early

experiments linking NutraSweet with brain tumors is confirmed, we

should all be outraged, both at the industry and at the FDA, our

federal watch dog.

 

 

--

 

LIST OF HIDDEN SOURCES OF MSG

----

As discussed previously, the glutamate manufacturers and the

processed food industries are always on a quest to disguise MSG added to

food.

 

Below is a partial fist of the most common names for

disguised MSG.

 

Remember also that the powerful excitotoxins aspartate

and L-cysteine are frequently added to foods and according to FDA

rules require no labeling at all.

 

Additives that always contain MSG:

 

Monosodium Glutamate

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Hydrolyzed Protein

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein

Plant Protein Extract

Sodium Caseinate

Calcium Caseinate

Yeast Extract

Textured Protein

Autolyzed Yeast

Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

 

Additives that frequently contain MSG:

Malt extract

Malt Flavoring

Bouillon

Broth

Stock

Flavoring

Natural Flavoring

Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring

Seasoning

Additives that may contain MSG or excitotoxins:

Carrageenan

Enzymes

Soy Protein Concentrate

Soy Protein Isolate

Whey Protein Concentrate

Additives that may contain MSG or excitotoxins:

Carrageenan

Enzymes

Soy Protein Concentrate

Soy Protein Isolate

Whey Protein Concentrate

 

Protease enzymes of various sources can release excitotoxin amino

acids from food proteins

 

http://www.lauralee.com/blaylock.htm

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html