What is MSG?

MSG is a taste enhancer that could make any food, no matter how bland, taste zesty and delicious. MSG is an abbreviation for monosodium glutamate, a commercial name for glutamate.

Take a quick test...

I will continue in a moment... First, to help you decide whether reading this article is worth your time, take a quick test:

• Do you experience migraine headaches, "cloudy" thinking and "senior moments"?
• Do you or someone you know suffer from allergies?
• How about mood swings or seizures?
• Don't feel well or have sympthoms that your doctor cannot explain?
• Are you or your children overweight?
• Cannot lose weight despite all the exercise and diet changes?
• Know someone with Alzheimer's or autism?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you or someone you know may be suffering from the adverse reaction to MSG. Keep reading...

If you are pregnant, this article is of special interest for you.

What is glutamate?

Glutamate is an amino acid, one of the many building blocks for protein. Proteins are used in the body for different functions – some form parts of the cell membrane, others are used to form hormones or tissues.

What is glutamateÂ’s function in the body?

Glutamate is a neurotransmitter, a part of special group of molecules, that cause nerves to become exited and cause neurons to fire spontaneously and repeatedly. And die.

What you eat can literally affect your behavior. Another amino acid, tryptophan, found in high concentrations in turkey and milk, affect brain in another way. It gets converted into another neurotransmitter – serotonin, which elevates mood and stimulates a sense of well-being.

“Being excitatory transmitters, glutamate and aspartate are involved in activating a number of brain systems concerned with sensory perception, memory, orientation in time and space, cognition and motor skills,” writes neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock in his book “Excitotoxins: The taste that kills"

History of MSG

This chemical was first isolated in 1908 by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda from kombu,a Japanese seaweed, used in Japanese cooking for thousands of years for its flavor-enhancing abilities.

Professor Ikeda formed the company named “Ajinomoto”, which means “the essence of taste” in English, and started to sell the newly found chemical. By 1933, Japanese cooks were using millions of pounds of MSG.

Glutamate was added to the canned food for the Japanese army during WWII. When the Americans obtained the rations of the Japanese soldiers, they were amazed how delicious they were. From the Armed Forces the news spread to the giant food manufacturers, which immediately recognized the size of the opportunity that the new chemical held for the industry.

MSG going mainstream in North America

Ever since, the amount of MSG in commercial foods – soups, chips, fast foods, ready-made dinners, canned goods – doubled every decade.

“Healthy” baby food

It was not until ten years later that doctors started seeing first anomalies in the experimental animals. Ten years more passed, when Dr. Olney made shocking discoveries of destructive effects of MSG on the brain of the animals, especially newborns. At the time of his report, MSG was used in baby foods in large doses. Dr. Olney has discovered, that doses of MSG normally fed to babies would produce severe brain cell destruction.

By now, in the experimental studies, scientists found connection of MSG and the damages to developing childÂ’s brain, learning disabilities, autism and serious psychological problems.

Recognizing the immediate danger to the public, especially to the newborn or unborn children, Dr. Olney and others testified before Congress concerning these dangers. As a result, MSG was voluntarily removed from baby foods by manufacturers in 1969.

Yet noone warned pregnant women about possible adverse effects on their developing babies caused by MSG found in their own food...

MSG continues to be widely used in the most popular foods.

Learn about MSG dangers and hidden sources of MSG

If you cannot stop eating some junk food tasties, don't just blame your weak willpower! If you eat a lot of processed foods, you may be addicted to the taste of the goods that have MSG added.

Start fighting that addiction - learn more about hidden sources of MSG.

• Learn to read the label.
• Buy MSG-free foods.
• Better yet, cook for yourself.

And what about kombu? Should you eat that miso soup or pay premium bucks for kombu snack at the health store? I say, yes. Many foods, including tomatoes, naturally contain glutamate. Its amount is very low and can be disregarded given the overall health benefits of these whole foods.

How to recognize MSG in the nutritional label?

Let me send you my free guide on MSG that, without exaggeration, may save your life.

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Sources:

1. Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. Excitotoxins: the taste that kills, ISBN 0-929173-14-7

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