Flavor Enhancers and Artificial Sweeteners:
MSG (Monosodiumglutamate) and Nutrasweet™
(Aspartame)
This article is a review of Dr. Russell Blaylock’s
book, “Excitotoxins: The taste that kills.”
Russell Blaylock, M.D. is a board certified neurosurgeon
and Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of
Mississippi. He has practiced
neurosurgery for the past twenty-four years and runs a successful private
nutritional practice.
The following is the introduction to “Excitotoxins:
The taste that kills.” by Russell Blaylock. M.D.
“What if someone were to tell
you that a chemical added to food could cause brain damage in your children,
and that this chemical could effect how your children’s nervous systems formed
during development so that in later years they may have learning or emotional
difficulties? What if there was
scientific evidence that these chemicals could damage a critical part of the
brain known to control hormones so that later in life your child might have
endocrine problems? How you would feel?”
“Suppose evidence was presented to you strongly
suggesting that the artificial sweetener in your diet soft drink may cause
brain tumors to develop, and that the number of brain tumors reported since the
widespread introduction of this artificial sweetener has risen
dramatically? Would that affect your
decision to drink these products and especially to allow your children to drink
them? What if you could be shown
overwhelming evidence that one of the main ingredients in this sweetener (aspartate) could cause the same brain lesions as MSG? Would that affect your buying decisions? And finally, what if it could be demonstrated
that all of these types of chemicals (called excitotoxins) could possibly
aggravate or even precipitate many of the neurodegenerative brain diseases,
such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, ALS, and Alzheimer’s
disease? Would you be concerned if you
knew that these excitotoxin food additives are a particular risk if you have ever
had a stroke, brain injury, brain tumor, meningitis or viral encephalitis?”
“I would think that all of us would be more than just
concerned to learn that well known powerful brain toxins were being added to
our food and drink to boost sales. We
would be especially upset to learn that these additives have no other purpose
than to enhance the taste of food and the sweetness of various diet products.”
“You would also be upset to learn that many of these
brain lesions in your children are irreversible and can follow a single
exposure to a sufficient concentration.
And I would bet that you would be incredulous to learn that the food
industry disguises many of these “excitotoxin additives” so that they will not
be recognized. In fact, many foods that
are labeled “No MSG” not only contain MSG, but also contain other excitotoxins
of equal potency.”
History of MSG
For thousands of years, Japanese cooks have used a
flavor enhancer from seaweed called “Sea Tangle” or Kombu. When used, it magnified the desired taste of
food. This flavor enhancer was only
recently isolated in the lab, during this century, and is called
monosodiumglutamate or MSG. Shortly
after its discovery, chemists turned it into a worldwide multi-million dollar
industry. After WWII, American food
manufacturers discovered the virtues of adding MSG to processed foods. At the time of its discovery, it was thought
to be perfectly safe, since it was a natural substance (an amino acid). The amount of MSG now being added to foods
every decade has doubled since 1940. Many cookbooks recommended adding MSG to
soups and sauce recipes and it was routinely added to baby food. By the end of
the 1960’s, research data began to show the dangers of MSG. That MSG was able
to get into the brain, under certain circumstances, in high amounts and cause a
multitude of problems. All of which is
thoroughly researched by Dr. Blaylock.
Effects of MSG
The effects of MSG have been studied extensively in
experimental animals and it has been shown to elicit across the board neurotoxic effects in all animals tested. Humans concentrate glutamate in their blood
following a dose of MSG in higher concentrations than any other species of
animal and are more sensitive than animals to their toxic effects. Further research in animals finds that age is
important. Immature animals were four
times more sensitive to the toxic effects of glutamate than older animals. This has dangerous implications for pregnancy
and children. Younger animals have
immature nervous systems that are more susceptible to exposure.
The Blood Brain Barrier
The brain is a complex chemical factory that requires
very careful quality control on what enters it at all times. It consumes 25% of
the body’s glucose and 20% of the oxygen, yet makes up only 2% of the body’s
weight. Many of the neurotransmitters in
the brain are amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). They are produced in infinitesimally small
amounts under very strict control. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that allow
communication between nerves in the brain and nervous system and they control
every aspect of body function. Their
production and subsequent breakdown is very carefully controlled and monitored.
Too much of one transmitter could cause “overstimulation”
of these neurons. It is very important
to understand that the brain functions in a very delicate balance between
stimulation and inhibition, and excessive overstimulation
can lead to nerve cell death.
Monosodiumglutamate is in a salt or free form. Once in
the body, it is broken down into its two components, sodium and glutamate. Glutamate is an amino acid, and amino acids
are carefully regulated by a special barrier called the blood brain barrier
(BBB) The BBB is an extensive protective
system that regulates what gets into the brain. It is the gatekeeper to the
brain. It allows substances like glucose and oxygen free passage while
restricting others substances like amino acids. Why then all the concern about
excitotoxins? Don’t we have a natural protection against them?
Limitations of the Blood Brain
Barrier
The brain receives the same blood that flows through
the body, and has the potential to be exposed to high concentrations of
chemicals in the blood from the diet, and from metabolism. Many substances considered harmless to the
body and found normally in the blood are quite toxic to the brain.
The BBB is not perfect as it does not protect the
entire brain. Certain parts of the
brain, such as areas that control hormone regulation and production, have no
BBB at all and are therefore susceptible to high amounts of excitotoxins in the
diet.
The developing fetus also has an immature BBB and is
more susceptible to excitotoxins as they can easily pass through the placental
barrier from the mother. Young children
have immature brains and also do not have a fully developed BBB and are more
susceptible to excitotoxins. There is some evidence that the BBB may not reach
complete maturity until adolescence.
There are also many other conditions that cause the
blood brain barrier to stop functioning partially or completely such as in
hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar) due to diabetic overuse of insulin or eating
foods with a high glycemic index (high in simple
sugars - which causes a reactive hypoglycemia). Other conditions that also
affect the BBB are: head trauma, strokes, brain tumors, fever, infections, and
certain medications.
The Taste That Kills
High amounts of the excitotoxic
amino acids glutamate (MSG) and aspartate (Nutrasweet™) in the brain cause over stimulation of
specific nerve cells which leads to cell death.
Death by overstimulation creates a condition
where too much calcium enters into the cells.
This influx of calcium, triggers excessive amounts of free radical
damage and kills the cell. That is why
they are referred to as “excitotoxins.” They excite or stimulate nerve cells to
death. These excess excitotoxins slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75% or more) of nerve
cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms
of a chronic illness are noticed. You
may not notice any problems for many years to come. Some of the chronic illnesses that have been
shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitotoxins are: Multiple sclerosis, ALS, memory loss,
hormonal problems, hearing loss, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s,
hypoglycemia, AIDS, dementia, brains lesions and neuroendocrine disorders. If
you live to be eighty-five, your chance of having Alzheimer’s disease is 50%. What you nutritionally do now to limit the
destruction of your brain tissue will lower your risk for developing these
conditions in your golden years. Dr.
Blaylock gives a volume of information on how to prevent damage by excitotoxins
in his book, and what type of vitamins and food to eat.
Aspartame (Nutrasweet)
“This particularly nasty substance should have never
even been approved for human use.” Aspartame is found in many diet foods and most, if
not all diet soft drinks. It’s a
powerful brain toxin which can produce similar nerve damage to MSG. Aspartame is the technical name for
Nutrasweet, Equal, and Spoonful.
Aspartame is made up of three chemicals:
Aspartate 40% (an amino acid), phenylalanine
50% (another amino acid) and methanol 10%.
Aspartame accounts for the majority of adverse food additive reactions
reported to the FDA. Here is a list of
some of those reactions reported: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures,
depression, fatigue, vision problems, nausea, tinnitus, memory loss, joint
pain, anxiety attacks, heart palpations, and hearing loss.
Aspartate, like glutamate, is normally found
in the brain and is a neurotransmitter.
Like glutamate, increased dietary consumption of aspartate
has the same excitotoxic effects.
Phenylalanine is also an amino acid normally found in
the brain as a neurotransmitter. Persons
with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU)
cannot metabolize phenylalanine which can lead to dangerously high brain
levels. Diet sodas come with a warning
that they contain phenylalanine for sensitive people with PKU. It has been shown that ingesting
phenylalanine can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in
persons who do not have PKU.
Methanol or wood alcohol is a deadly poison. The danger of exposure to methanol increases
when diet foods with aspartame are heated above 86 degrees. This is the point when free methanol is created/split from aspartame. This causes methanol to be readily and easily
absorbed by the body. Methanol is
further broken down into formic acid and formaldehyde, a deadly
neurotoxin. The E.P.A. considers
methanol a cumulative poison, due to the low rate of excretion once it is
absorbed. They recommend a limit of
consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter
aspartame sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Methanol poisoning is synonymous with visual
problems such as blurry vision, retinal damage, and blindness.
Hidden Sources of MSG
Free glutamate is the result of a manufacturing
process. It is important to understand that
glutamate is also found naturally occurring in cheeses, tomatoes and other
foods but it is not in its free form. It
is found bound and attached to other substances and it is not able to
concentrate quickly in high amounts in the blood stream and brain. Only when it is manufactured does it exist in
its free unbound form for which it is then rapidly and readily absorbed into the
blood stream. Free glutamate/MSG is
found in all processed foods (canned, bagged and boxed)
So how do you
eliminate excitotoxins from your diet?
The answer to that question is read the label fully. If the product says “No added MSG” or “No
MSG”, that may be a partial truth. Be
aware that a food can say no MSG and still have free glutamate in it. This is because of the labeling laws in
place. For example, if a soup
manufacturer lists as part of its ingredients chicken broth, (a commonly
available ‘separate’ food product of its own, which is full of MSG), it does
not have to declare the ingredients of that product because it is an existing
food product used to make the final product.
Soups are notoriously high in MSG.
Another similar loophole law exists for trans-fats (reference my
previous article on fats and essential fatty acids) in the U.S. which says if
the product contains 5 grams or less of trans fats, the manufacturer can “round down” to zero and
state “No Trans Fats” on the label.
And if you think eating out more often is the answer,
think again. “Our obsession with
taste has become so consuming that no one in the food processing or restaurant
business wants to lose out by not adding these substances to our food. As a
society, we have become so used to the overwhelming, artificial tastes of our
packaged foods that anything untreated strikes us as bland and unpalatable. This competitive race for taste has escalated
to the point that food processors are adding MSG to foods at a rate that
doubles every ten years.”
Many years ago the term “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”
was coined for the symptoms experienced by some after eating Asian
cuisine. It was associated with MSG use
and often caused headaches as part of the syndrome. Today we know more accurately that it should
be called “American Restaurant Syndrome.”
Your are more likely to find MSG in every step
of food preparation in American Restaurants than in Asian restaurants. Asian restaurants rely heavily on fresh
vegetables in most of their meals and the difference is that Asian cooking will
add MSG at the end of the meal preparation process as a flavor enhancer. Today
most Asian restaurants will not add MSG if you request it. American food served and prepared in American
restaurants come from commercial food services that sell prepared food stocks
that are loaded with MSG and other excitotoxic flavor
enhancers. MSG can be avoided more
easily at Asian cuisine restaurants than your typical restaurant.
There is also some scientific evidence as to why many
people still feel hungry an hour after eating Asian cuisine. MSG is an insulin stimulator which causes
blood sugar levels to drop, which sets off your hunger response.
It is important to read the ingredient labels of all
processed food. Here are some of the
names to look for when searching for hidden MSG:
The
following additives always contain MSG:
Glutamate Glutamic acid
Yeast extract
Monosodium glutamate Autolyzed yeast
Gelatin
Monopotassium glutamate Sodium
caseinate
Textured protein Calcium caseinate
Hydrolyzed protein (any protein that is hydrolyzed)
The
following additives frequently contain MSG:
Malt flavoring
Citric
acid Broth
Natural pork flavoring Malt extract Stock
Natural chicken flavoring Soy sauce Bouillon
Natural beef flavoring Barley
malt Pectin
Whey protein concentrate Ultra-pasteurized
Soy sauce extract Soy protein
Whey protein Protease Protease enzymes
Whey protein isolate Anything enzyme modified
Anything protein fortified Anything
fermented
Seasonings (the word "seasonings")
Flavors(s) & Flavoring(s)
Natural flavor(s) & flavoring(s)
The following additives may
contain MSG:
Carrageenan Enzymes anything
Soy protein concentrate Soy protein isolate
Whey protein concentrate Spices
Conclusion
When MSG was first discovered, no one knew that excess
glutamate could cause brain cell death.
Our understanding of brain chemistry at the time was not as advanced as
it is today. The food industry invested
millions of dollars into these flavor enhancers and it was only after “tons of
enhancers” were being used that scientists could begin to study their damaging
effects. Unfortunately, the discovery
remained buried in the medical literature for over a decade before someone
recognized the danger. All the while it
was being used extensively in products such as baby food. And that developing brains were most
susceptible to damage. It was also found
that humans concentrate MSG twenty times higher in their blood than do monkeys
and five times higher than mice. It also
remains in your system for a much longer period of time. In the case of children, there are no outward
signs of toxicity. It is a “silent brain
lesion” and problems are not seen until many years later in development when
damage may present itself as an endocrine disorder or even possibly a learning
disorder (autism, attention deficit, dyslexia) or emotional disorder. Dr. Blaylock states: “Hundreds of millions
of infants and young children are at great risk and their parents are not even
aware of it. It is my opinion, after
reviewing an enormous amount of medical and research literature, that MSG,
aspartame and other excitotoxin additives poise an enormous hazard to our
health and to the developing and normal functioning brain. To continue to add enormous
amounts of excitotoxins to our food is unconscionable and will lead to
suffering and ruined lives for generations to come.”
If you are interested about learning more about these
toxic food additives in great detail, I suggest that you purchase his book., which Amazon.com sells for $15.26. Dr. Blaylock has a second book called
“Health and Nutrition Secrets that can save your life” which is also an
excellent book that is highly recommended and should be in everyone’s library.