The Dangers of MSG

          You have a killer in your kitchen cabinets that is worse for your health than alcohol, nicotine, and many other drugs - MSG or monosodium glutamate.  This food additive tricks your taste buds into thinking that the food has more protein and tastes better. Therefore, you eat much more.  Remember the saying, "Bet ya can't eat just one."  This takes on a completely new meaning when you realize you are being sabotaged.  Chemically, MSG is 78% free glutamic acid, 21% sodium and 1% contaminates. 

            MSG is an excitotoxin, which means that it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death and can cause brain damage or trigger diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or Lou Gehrig's disease. 

            MSG causes the levels of glutamate in your blood to rise as much as 20 times.  These high levels of glutamate stimulate all of the glutamate receptors, which can cause explosive reactions.  Most of the people who have glutamate reactions are deficient in magnesium.  Whenever magnesium levels are low, the glutamate receptors become hypersensitive and can cause cardiac arrhythmias and even death. 

            Other adverse effects of MSG are migraines, obesity, fatigue, depression, rapid heartbeat, diarrhea, drowsiness, and weakness.  It is estimated that MSG sensitivity may impact up to 40% of the population.  Rats, which normally do not become obese, were fed a diet containing MSG and guess what - fat rats!  When ingesting MSG, you don't realize when you are full and you eat much more than you normally would.  

            Read the food labels! Also watch for hydrolyzed protein, caseinate, and any soy products, all of these have a significant amount of glutamate.  

            Some of the supplements that can help with MSG reactions are an amino acid, taurine.  This works in our system exactly opposite to MSG and can help with the reaction when you accidentally ingest it.  Magnesium is very important to help counteract the effects.  Read the label carefully to be sure it is pure magnesium.  B6 is also helpful.  This vitamin is used by the body to help convert amino acids into other amino acids.  People who are sensitive to MSG are usually low in this vitamin.  CoQ10 helps the body take fuel in the form of glucose (blood sugar) and turn it into energy.  If you consume the glutamate, which can over stimulate the nerve cells until they die, this energy is crucial.  With enough energy, the nerve cells will recover from the over stimulation, but without this energy the cell will die.  Anti-histamines, such as Benadryl can help, MSG will increase histamine reactions, therefore anything that can reduce histamine can help.  Vitamin C in large doses, also works as an anti-histamine.

            Plan A - avoid all MSG, hydrolyzed protein, caseinate, and soy products.

Plan B- take magnesium, B6, taurine, and CoQ10 on a regular basis and if you accidentally consume MSG, be ready with an anti-histamine such as Benadryl.

Stay Strong!