EXCITOTOXINS: MORE ALARMING THAN EXCITING
What if someone were to tell you that certain food additives could cause brain damage in your children and/or effect their nervous systems as they develop so that in later years they would have learning or emotional difficulties?
What if someone provided you with evidence that the artificial sweetener in your diet soft drink may cause brain tumors to develop, and that the number of brain tumors reported since this sweetener came into common use has risen dramatically?
What if it could be demonstrated that all of these types of chemicals called excitotoxins could aggravate or precipitate neurodegenerative brain diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, ALS, and Alzheimer's?
Dr. Russell L. Blaylock M.D. has compiled some of this vital research in his book, Excitotoxins--the Taste that Kills. Excitotoxins are substances that stimulate the brain. When added to our food, they enhance the taste and have been the go-to for food manufacturers for a long time. Some familiar names of these additives are MSG, Aspartame, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Unfortunately these common substances added to many foods are the same ones that produce brain damage in animal experiments. Maybe this wouldn't be such a big deal if human brains weren't several times more sensitive to excitotoxins than those of animals.
Evidence against these additives was first discovered in 1957, when two ophthalmologists tested MSG on infant mice and found that it destroyed all the nerve cells in the animals' retinas. Ten years later a neuroscientist, John W. Olney, M.D., repeated this experiment. He found that not only was MSG toxic to the retina but also the brain.
At this time millions of babies were eating baby food containing large amounts of MSG and hydrolyzed vegetable protein which is a compound of three excitotoxins. In spite of Dr. Olney's frightening discovery, food manufacturers continued to put these additives in foods of all kinds. Even the FDA refused to take action when informed by Dr. Olney. Only after he testified before congressional committee, did manufacturers agree to remove the additives from baby food. However, they continued to add excitotoxins in other forms to baby food and hundreds of other foods. (See the list below of hidden sources of MSG.)
In Dr. Blaylock's book, published in 1997, he expounds on the research that has been done on the harmful effects of excitotoxins. Twenty years later, although research mounts, processed foods continue to contain these substances in spades.
For example, since his book was written there has been a 200% increase in low calorie sweetener use by children. Aspartame is even found in children's medicines. This in spite of research that is becoming too expansive to ignore that links artificial sweeteners to a host of negative metabolic and neurological effects. While U.S. health agencies claim that they are safe, science says otherwise.
HIDDEN SOURCES OF MSG
Always contain 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
Frequently contain MSG:
Malt Extract
Malt Flavoring
Bouillon
Broth
Stock
Flavoring
Natural Flavoring
Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring
Seasoning
Spices
Additives that may contain MSG or excitotoxins:
Carrageenan
Enzymes
Soy Protein Concentrate
Soy Protein Isolate
Whey Protein Concentrate
I am sure this is an incomplete list since it is 20 years old. I recommend that we all read labels suspiciously. I wish I had done this sooner, as I am finding in my own home some products containing these dangerous additives.
