Dirty Politics / MSG - Dangers & Deceptions

The FDA did not ask about, and FASEB did not even address, the fact that MSG causes migraine headaches, the leading reaction to MSG, and a reaction that is now well recognized by headache clinics throughout the country. Also not properly addressed in the July, 1995 FASEB report are a number of studies that have found that when MSG is administered to pregnant rats or mice, or to very young rats or mice, the offspring or young rodents all suffer from very specific and very definite learning disabilities.13 The report also fails to mention that many studies point to grotesque obesity in animals that were administered MSG when young,14 and that MSG has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease),15-17 certain psychiatric conditions,18 and heart irregularities such as tachycardia.19 (See Table 2 for a list of adverse conditions reported by MSG- sensitive individuals).

Natural vs. Unnatural Glutamic Acid

In defense of their position that MSG is harmless, the MSG industry, food processors, and the FDA point to the fact that glutamic acid, bound with other amino acids as a component of protein, does not cause reactions in humans; and they go on to ask how that could be since the glutamic acid freed from protein during digestion is identical to the glutamic acid freed from protein through a manufacturing process, and used as a flavor enhancer. In fact, they contend that some unadulterated foods, such as tomatoes picked from the vine, so to speak, or mushrooms contain free glutamic acid, and would cause adverse reactions if an individual were truly sensitive to MSG.

We had the free glutamic acid in tomatoes measured. The amount was minute -- 11 pounds of tomatoes produced only one gram of free glutamic acid. Yet, we know that some individuals can react to minute amounts of “manufactured free glutamic acid, but will not react to unadulterated foods such as tomatoes or mushrooms. We found out something else. There is a difference between ingesting foods in which glutamic acid is bound or ingesting the minute amounts of glutamic acid in unprocessed food and the free glutamic acid that occurs in food as a consequence of a manufacturing process.

The glutamic acid in non- manufactured proteins contains only L-glutamic acid. Only L-glutamic acid is produced in higher organisms.20 However, when glutamic acid is freed from protein through a manufacturing process, invariably D-glutamic acid, its “mirror image (stereoisomer) is also produced, along with a chemical called pyroglutamic acid.21 If an acid is used to free the glutamic acid from protein -- a common method used in our country, but forbidden in some European countries -- mono and dichloro propanols22 are also produced; and, based on a report of the FDA, if a process is used to make what the flavoring industry refers to as reaction or processed flavors from certain proteins, heterocyclic amines are produced. Mono and dichloro propanols and heterocyclic amines are known to be carcinogenic.

Dealing with MSG

We know that MSG-sensitivity is a sensitivity to a toxic substance rather than an allergy. MSG sensitivity is not IgE mediated; there are no antibodies developed in the body. Therefore, traditional allergy tests do not detect MSG-sensitivity and it does not appear possible to desensitize an MSG-sensitive individual to the substance.

We know that tolerance levels for MSG can vary from milligrams on up, and that it is easily possible to ingest as much as six grams of MSG in a meal today. Alcohol, stress and other factors can enhance MSG sensitivity. Some people experience their only reactions in Chinese restaurants because Chinese restaurants tend to use higher amounts of MSG than are found in most other restaurants; but the MSG problem is not restricted to dining in Chinese restaurants. MSG is now found in virtually all processed foods.

We know that MSG reactions occur in individuals at varying times after ingestion, from immediately following ingestion up to 48 hours following ingestion. The reaction time following ingestion of MSG is almost always the same each time for an individual. Once this reaction time is determined, an individual can always look back after a reaction and identify the food that has caused the problem.

To test for MSG-sensitivity, go on a 2-3 week diet on which you limit your food intake to fresh cooked fruits and vegetables and fresh, unadulterated fish, meat, and poultry. During the diet use no sauces, flavoring food solely with fresh herbs. Eat nothing processed out of a box, bottle, bag, jar, or can. Eliminate bread, dairy products, “basted turkeys, or items from the deli counter. Eliminate all aspartame and any product that contains the words “hydrolyzed or “amino acids, including shampoos and supplements. If you feel better after the diet, then begin to add back foods to determine the items that may be causing you problems. Listen to your body. It is a marvelous laboratory.
 

Growing Concern

We know that scientists are increasingly concerned about glutamic acid, although most research is on the glutamic acid in the body (endogenous glutamic acid) rather than the MSG that we ingest (exogenous glutamic acid). Pharmaceutical companies are spending millions of dollars on drugs to control the effect of endogenous glutamic acid on certain disease and injury processes. On May 3-5, the National Institute of Health sponsored a seminar entitled “The Glutamate Cascade: Common Pathways of Central Nervous System Disease States.

In his testimony before FASEB on April 7, 1993, neuroscientist Richard C. Henneberry, Ph.D. summed up his presentation by saying: “I consider it ironic that the pharmaceutical industry is investing vast resources in the development of glutamate receptor blockers to protect CNS neurons against glutamate neurotoxicity in common neurological disorders, while at the same time the food industry, with the blessing of the FDA, continues to add great quantities of glutamate to the food supply.

Although MSG- sensitive individuals must stay away from MSG, I feel that MSG is not good for anyone. A growing number of neuroscientists believe that MSG may be a “slow neurotoxin, resulting in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s later in life.

There is no question in my mind that one day MSG will be properly disclosed on the labels of processed food, and that its use in processed food will be dramatically reduced. I assure you that I will continue to work individually and through TLC to see that all MSG in all processed food is disclosed. You may remain current with the MSG issue by visiting the TLC Web site on the Internet at: www.truthinlabeling.org Your help in the MSG labeling campaign would be appreciated.

Note: Further information about the dangers of MSG is contained in Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills by Russell Blaylock, MD, available from PPNF.

Jack L. Samuels has worked in the health care field since 1957. In 1971, he was diagnosed as being MSG sensitive. Even though he has avoided all restaurant meals and foods labeled as containing MSG, he has lost consciousness about 25 times due to hidden MSG in food ingredients. He and his wife Adrienne founded the Truth in Labeling Campaign to encourage proper labeling of MSG in our foods.