Monosodium Glutamate - What's the Big Deal?
Monosodium glutamate aka MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamatic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids. It is considered a safe food additive by the USDA and the European Union. MSG is used as a flavor enhancer because it “balances, blends and rounds the total perception of other tastes” and is very cost effective for mass production.
MSG is a proven endocrine disruptor, interfering with normal hormone release and uptake. When our thyroid, pituitary, hypothalamus, and pancreas are compromised by this powerful excitatory neurotransmitter, the effects on our health are devastating. In order to study Obesity, we must first make something obese. It is a given in research that if you need a fat-rat then you give it MSG. Scientists inject mice and rats with MSG in order to make them fat quickly. Now that's interesting considering that MSG is often added to everything we eat.
Serious health issues are plaguing millions across the globe. Some are claiming many of our health problems are primarily caused by MSG. Based on books by Neurosurgeon, Dr. Russell Blaylock (Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills) and Toxicologist, Dr. George Schwartz (In Bad Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex) here are some common symptoms of MSG toxicity:
Numbness or paralysis, Mouth lesions/sores, Swelling of hands, feet, face, Diarrhea, Mitral valve prolapse, Nausea, Rise or drop in blood pressure, Stomach cramps and gas, Irritable bowel, colitis, and/or constipation, rapid heart beat, Angina, change in heart beat, spastic colon, shaking, chills, extreme thirst, TMJ, Water retention and bloating, obesity, muscle aches, Asthma symptoms, flu like symptoms, Heaviness of arms & legs, chest pain, mental dullness, depression, dizzy & light headed, anxiety, bi-polar, chronic cough, tickle in throat, skin rash, hives, flushing, ADD, ADHD, gagging reflex numbness, balance problems, Aching teeth, dry mouth/cotton mouth, lethargy, difficulty focusing, loss of memory, uncontrollable bladder, sleeping disorders, pressure behind eyes, migraine headaches, see shiny lights, blurry vision, Neurological disease, sinus issues, thyroid, infertility, gastro issues, tinnitus, gout like symptoms, gall bladder problems, kidney pain.
So now that we know its really bad for us we should just not eat it right? Well that is easier said than done. Due to its addictive properties and all those flavor enhancers, companies have figured out a way to keep adding it to food without having to let you know it. If MSG is in its pure form, it must be listed on a food label. However, if it is a component part of certain food additives, such as autolyzed yeast or hydrolyzed protein, the FDA allows it to go into food not labeled as MSG.
Hidden names of MSG containing up to 78%:
Gelatin
Calcium Caseinate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein(HVP)
Textured Protein
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
Yeast Extract
Glutamate
Autolyzed Plant Protein
Yeast food or nutrient
Glutamic Acid
Sodium Caseinate
Autolyzed Yeast
Vegetable Protein Extract
Senomyx (wheat extract labeled as artifical flavor)
The following substances contain some factory created free glutamate in varying amounts. Many foods will have more than one of these ingredients list, so it could add up to quite a bit of glutamate in one product:
Malted Barley (flavor)
Natural Flavors, Flavors, Flavoring
Modified food starch
Barley malt
Rice syrup or brown rice syrup
Malt Extract or Flavoring
Natural Chicken, Beef, or Pork, Flavoring "Seasonings"
Lipolyzed butter fat
Maltodextrin, dextrose, dextrates
Soy Sauce or Extract
"Low" or "No Fat" items
Caramel
Soy Protein
Corn syrup and corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup
Stock
Soy Protein Isolate or Concentrate
Citric Acid (when processed from corn)
Milk Powder/Dry Milk Solids
Bouillon
Carrageenan
Wheat, Rice, Corn or oat protein
Whey Protein
Anything enriched or vitamin enriched
Annatto
Whey Protein Isolate or Concentr ate
Protein fortified "anything"
Spice
Amino acids
Fructose (made from corn
Lecithin
Lecithin
Protein powders: whey, soy, oat, rice (as in protein bars shakes and body building drinks)
Ultra-pasteurized dairy products
Pectin
Algae
Gums (guar and vegetable)
Enzyme modified proteins
Phytoplankton
Protease enzymes
Fermented proteins
Yeast Nutrients
So there you have it. Lots of information on MSG to digest. I know after my research today I am personally going to avoid it like it is one of those ancient deadly plagues.
MSG STATEMENT
ReplyDeleteDo carrageenans contain MSG? No, and here’s why.
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, can cause health problems when used to excess. However, despite claims made on various websites, carrageenans are not a source of MSG.
This confusion may have occurred because carrageenans are derived from seaweeds, and one of the most important natural sources of MSG is the seaweed, kombi. However, carrageenan is extracted from red seaweeds, which contain much less MSG than kombi, a brown seaweed. In addition, any MSG that may be present in the seaweed is washed out during the carrageenan extraction process.
To prove that carrageenan is not a source of MSG, Marinalg tested two of the carrageenans most often used in food products. These tests were carried out by the independent testing company, Eurofins . The two products that were tested are both strong gelling agents: the refined carrageenan E407, and the lesser-refined carrageenan E407a, also known as PES.
MSG is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid. Eurofins found that the sample of E407 contained less than 10mg/kg of glutamic acid in total, whether as the free acid, bound into proteins or as the monosodium salt. 10 mg/kg is the limit of detection for the best available testing method, so for all practical purposes, undetectable amounts of glutamic acid in its various forms were present.
Levels of MSG and free glutamic acid were also below 10mg/kg in the PES sample; it did however, contain 0.22% of bound glutamic acid. It is well known that PES contains small amounts of algal cellulose and protein in addition to the carrageenan. Eurofins found that all of this glutamic acid had been present in the seaweed, in bound form in algal protein.
When humans consume glutamic acid that is bound in proteins, it is digested in the stomach and lower intestine. The body then uses the glutamic acid that is freed in this way in the normal process of metabolism, or it is discarded as waste. The body does not store excess glutamic acid ingested from protein. On the other hand, directly ingested MSG is absorbed rapidly and is not excreted as fast, and this is what causes the negative health effects associated with excessive consumption of MSG.
Carrageenans and PES contain less than detectable amounts of free MSG. Health problems have been attributed to the injection of several grams of free MSG at a time. Carrageenans contain less than 10mg of MSG in every kilogram. Very small amounts of carrageenans are used in any given food product. Therefore, they cannot contribute to the negative health effects of MSG consumption.
Thank you for sharing this useful blog. Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living organism. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind and body.
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