Doctor Mercola

Share

Tweet

What is found in fast foods and processed foods that’s worse for your health than alcohol, nicotine and many drugs? It’s the powdery white food additive known as monosodium glutamate (MSG).

MSG, also known as glutamic acid, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and hides under many other names, is used to enhance the flavor of countless processed food products like potato chips, soups, noodles, salad dressing, gravy and prepared frozen meals.

Many fast food chains like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, TGIF and Denny’s use MSG in abundance to enhance their meals, much like Chinese restaurants.

If MSG is Found in So Many Foods, Why Exactly is it Bad for Your Health?

MSG, like aspartame and L-cysteine, is an excitotoxin, a type of neurotoxin that causes neurons (nerve cells) to be overstimulated or “overexcited” to the point of damage and death, causing brain damage and potentially triggering or worsening Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and learning disabilities.

Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter (a chemical which allows neurons to communicate with one another) in the body. Dr. Russell Blaylock, author of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, explains that numerous glutamate receptors have been found in the heart and the heart’s electrical conduction system.

When these glutamate receptors are overstimulated by excitotoxins like MSG, it can lead to cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death, as evidenced sometimes among young athletes.

Other adverse effects associated with regular consumption of MSG include obesity, eye damage, headaches, fatigue and disorientation and depression.

MSG causes obesity? Ever wondered why the laboratory rats researchers use are nice and fat? That’s because they inject the rodents with chemicals, including MSG, when they are born to triple the amount of insulin in their bodies, making them morbidly obese.

Even though MSG actually has very little taste, it tricks your tongue and your brain into thinking that the food you’re eating contains more protein and tastes better. This addictive effect is the reason why it’s added to so many foods. That’s why you get hooked with processed foods and keep coming back to those fast food chains, and before you know it, you’re piling up those excess pounds faster than you can say “M-S-G.”

MSG has been labeled by the FDA as  “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) in 1959. However, just 10 years after MSG was granted GRAS status, a condition known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” surfaced, describing the numerous side effects that people experienced after eating MSG.

Today, that condition is known as “MSG Symptom Complex,” which, according to the FDA, are just “short-term reactions” which affect certain groups of people who have consumed high doses of MSG and those who are asthmatic. The symptoms include:

• Numbness
• Burning sensation
• Tingling
• Facial pressure or tightness
• Chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Nausea
• Rapid heartbeat
• Drowsiness
• Weakness

But adults are not the only ones exposed to the dangers of MSG. Children are actually the most at risk from MSG because the blood brain barrier, which prevents toxins in the blood from reaching the brain, has not fully developed.

Unborn children and babies can receive MSG through their mothers’ diets, through the placenta and breast milk, respectively. Babies can also get MSG from immunization. Most live vaccines, if not all, contain MSG in the form of ingredients that offer no clue that they contain the toxic substance.

Eat MSG-free to Stay Healthy

Eliminating or at least avoiding MSG in your diet should be a no-brainer. You can prepare your meals without this toxic flavor enhancer. Though it will take more planning and time in the kitchen when you use fresh, locally-grown ingredients, choosing whole foods is so much healthier and will give you better overall flavor. You can also use spices like garlic, ginger and cloves to enhance the flavor your food and experience the health benefits that they provide.

Share

Tweet