Eliminate the food additive that excites brain and nerve cells until they die.
MSG by any other name would still be as harmful. When most people hear the name
monosodium glutamate, or MSG, they immediately think of Chinese food. And while the
chemical is used in many Chinese food restaurants, this brain and nervous system toxin
masquerades under many different guises and even within many food additives.
Considering that MSG has been linked to many serious health conditions, including hormonal
imbalances, weight gain, brain damage, obesity, headaches, and more, you may be shocked to
learn how prevalent it is. MSG is almost always found in processed, prepared, and packaged
foods. Even when there is no sign of it on the label, it is still frequently hidden in many prepared
foods.
What’s even more shocking is how MSG affects your brain. As you learned earlier, there is a
protective mechanism in your brain known as the blood–brain barrier. Your brain depends on
careful control of chemicals to operate smoothly. Even small fluctuations in the concentrations of
these chemicals can cause drastic disruptions in brain function. When excitotoxins enter your
brain, they literally excite brain cells until they die. MSG is added to foods as a taste enhancer,
but it is well established in research as an excitotoxin.
Additionally, some parts of your brain, such as the hypothalamus and the pineal gland, are not
protected by the blood–brain barrier, yet these parts of your brain control many hormones in your
body, as well as other bodily functions, including mood regulation.
When MSG enters your brain, not only does it kill brain cells, but it also wreaks havoc on
brain functions. Some research has even linked it to the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
According to Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald, a homeopath and the author of The Detox Solution,
“ingesting MSG over the years has also been linked with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.”
Many people react within 48 hours of ingesting even minute amounts of MSG, which can
make it difficult to trace back to the food source that caused the reaction. The effects can include
headaches, hives, canker sores, runny nose, insomnia, seizures, mood swings, panic attacks, heart
palpitations and other heart irregularities, nausea, numbness, asthma attacks, and migraines.
Many of my clients also report experiencing restless leg syndrome after accidental ingestion of
MSG.
Research shows that MSG enters the brain slowly, bypasses the blood–brain barrier, and
reaches peak concentrations in the brain 3 hours after it’s ingested. Levels of MSG in the brain
remain high for 24 hours after the initial ingestion of the contaminated food. MSG can be
especially detrimental to people who have experienced some sort of brain injury or who have a
genetic predisposition to brain disease. According to board-certified neurosurgeon Russell
Blaylock, MD, long-time MSG researcher and author of Excitotoxins, “There is some recent
evidence that Parkinson’s patients have a defect in their metabolism that leads to increased
metabolism. Such a defect would make them more vulnerable to the harmful effects of
excitotoxins.” MSG is one of the most common excitotoxins to which we are frequently exposed
due to its omnipresence in our processed food supply. The artificial sweetener aspartame is also
one of the worst excitotoxins. See information about aspartame.
According to Dr. Blaylock, there are many names for this harmful toxin that you should look
for on food labels.
ADDITIVES THAT ALWAYS CONTAIN MSG:
■ Monosodium glutamate (that’s the full name for MSG)
■ 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
■ Spices
ADDITIVES THAT SOMETIMES CONTAIN MSG:
■ Carrageenan
■ Enzymes
■ Soy protein concentrate
■ Soy protein isolate
■ Whey protein isolate
How to Benefit
Avoid prepared and packaged foods as much as possible. Also, try to avoid eating at fast-food
restaurants, because they are notorious culprits when it comes to MSG usage. If you must buy
packaged or prepared foods, be sure to take the above list with you so you can avoid harmful
neurotoxins that could be affecting your health. If the product doesn’t come with an ingredients
list, such as items made in-house at the bakery and deli department in your grocery store, you
should assume it contains MSG, as these types of food items frequently do. Avoiding these types
of foods will help you reduce your exposure to MSG, but there are also some lesser-known food
sources of this harmful chemical. Some of the many culprits include:
Baby food. Shocking as it is, baby food manufacturers often include glutamate, one of MSG’s
many guises, as a flavor “enhancer.”
Bottled sauces. Just gotta have your Thai, teriyaki, or Jamaican jerk sauce? Well, most bottled
sauces contain MSG.
Infant formula. As terrible as it sounds, most popular brands of infant formula actually
contain MSG in one of its myriad disguises.
Protein powder. Many of the protein powders used for weight loss or muscle building, even
those sold in health food stores, contain MSG, usually as hydrolyzed protein or hydrolyzed soy
protein.
Croutons. Most croutons are flavored with bouillon, soup base, or “natural” or artificial
flavors that contain MSG.
Salad dressings. The salad dressing you choose could negate any of the health benefits of
eating salad if you choose a bottled dressing that contains MSG. Bottled salad dressings may
contain “natural flavor,” “spices,” or “seasoning,” all of which can legally contain MSG.
Soups. Most soups, even most homemade soups, contain MSG (even if the cook swears they
don’t). That’s because most soup bases, commercial stocks, and bouillon powder and cubes
contain MSG. And few nutritionists and even fewer chefs are familiar with MSG’s many names.
Soy “meat” products. Many vegetarian burgers, hot dogs, sausages, and other meat
alternatives contain textured vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or hydrolyzed plant
protein, all of which usually contain MSG.
Spice mixtures. Love that Cajun seasoning, Tex-Mex rub, or other spice mixture? Most spice
mixtures contain MSG—frequently as autolyzed yeast or yeast extract.
Vaccines. Foods are not the only places you’re exposed to MSG. You’ll probably be surprised
to learn that MSG is found in vaccines as a “stabilizer.” The chickenpox vaccine made by Merck
pharmaceutical company is a primary example. Merck’s measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine
also contains this harmful neurotoxin.
Super Health Bonus
Because MSG is linked with so many uncomfortable, or even downright dangerous, health
symptoms, eliminating it from your diet typically results in fewer headaches, migraines, asthma
attacks, and panic attacks. And any sufferer of these conditions knows that reducing them means
a much greater quality of life.