ResourcesForLife.com

Health

Summary. Many people have experienced negative side effects from ingesting Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). Side effects may include paralysis, inability to breath, tingling, and swelling. Negative reactions can be so severe that MSG consumption could be deadly for some people. For this reason, socially responsible restaurants and food manufacturers no longer use MSG as a flavor enhancer, and have switched to natural seasonings instead. Unfortunately, some restaurants and food manufacturers still use MSG. This page has been established to warn the public about the potential dangers of MSG. For more information, read some of the books written about the dangers of MSG. The World Health Center report on MSG confirms these findings.

Mayo Clinic Health Advisory. The MayoClinic warning on MSG states, “some people report more severe reactions [than those mentioned in the FDA study]. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG. When MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that ‘monosodium glutamate’ be listed on the label — or on the menu, in restaurants.” The Mayo Clinic warning cites the following list of possible reactions to MSG:

• Headache, sometimes called MSG headache
• Flushing
• Sweating
• Sense of facial pressure or tightness
• Numbness, tingling or burning in or around the mouth
• Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Weakness

Lack of Government Regulation. Despite numerous findings by government agencies and health institutions, the FDA refuses to take any action that would prohibit the use of MSG. As with many uncontrolled substances, it all comes down to money. The sale of Monosodium Glutamate is big business. Despite the health hazards, annual worldwide demand is about 1.1 million tons. So, it’s unlikely that any government agency will limit the use of MSG. In such circumstances, it is up to consumers to become informed to protect themselves.

Excitotoxins. Monosodium Glutamate is categorized as an Excitotoxin. In 1996, Dr. Russell L. Blaylock M.D. published the book Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. In his book, Dr. Blaylock cites studies in which MSG was found to produce brain lesions, obesity, and brain damage. Citing a 1968 study conducted by Dr. John W. Olney, Dr. Blaylock writes, “… not only did MSG cause severe damage to the neurons in the retina of the eye, but … it also caused widespread destruction of neurons in the hypothalamus and other areas of the brain adjacent to the ventricular system, called the cirumventricular organs.” (p. 35) Dr. Blaylock continues, “… at the time of Dr. Olney’s report, even baby foods contained relatively large doses of MSG. … The discovery of Dr. Olney was particularly important because the hypothalamus plays such an important role in controlling so many areas of the body. This little piece of brain, no larger than the fingernail of your little finger, controls a multitude of systems: regulating growth, the onset of puberty, most of the endocrine glands, appetite, sleep cycles and waking patterns, the biological clock and even consciousness itself. Dr. Olney’s studies on various species of test animals disclosed that MSG, when fed in doses similar to those found in human diets, destroys hypothalamic neurons. This type of hypothalamic damage produces a particular syndrome in animals which caused them to be short in stature, obese, and to have reproductive problems. … Recognizing the immediate danger to the public, especially to the unborn child, Dr. Olney and others testified before Congress concerning these dangers. As a result of their vigilance, MSG was voluntarily removed from baby foods in 1969. But no one had warned pregnant women of the danger to their developing babies caused by the MSG found within their own food. This danger would exist if the glutamate from the mother’s blood entered the blood of their unborn baby. In 1974, Dr. Olney demonstrated that MSG, when fed to pregnant Rhesus monkeys, could cause brain damage to their offspring. Other researchers found similar results when pregnant rats were fed MSG. ” (pp. 36-37)

Some Snack Foods Do Not Contain Monosodium Glutamate. Despite its dangers, monosodium glutamate is still found in many snack foods as well as Top Ramen instant noodles. For this reason, one would think it’s impossible to make a spicy snack food without using MSG. However, it is clearly possible to manufacture very tasty and flavorful snack foods without the use of MSG as demonstrated by the following manufacturers’ products that do not contain MSG:

• Blue Diamond Almonds spicy flavors such as Jalapeño Smokehouse and Wasabi flavor
• Cheez-It snack crackers (original flavor) by Kellog’s/Sunshine. Warning: Some new variations of Cheez-It crackers contain MSG.
• Wal-Mart Great Value BBQ flavored Potato Chips

Audio Presentation. An audio presentation on MSG is available for more information.

* * *

Choose Your Advertising. The topical advertising links below are provided by Google AdSense. In providing these links, we give our site visitors the option to view advertising or not. We don’t necessarily endorse the advertisers generated by these links, but they are supposed to be context relevant and for that reason you might find them helpful. These links will take you away from our site if you don’t right click and choose to open them in a new window or tab. We’re currently experimenting with this form of advertising. Let us know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. In particular, if you find advertisers listed here that are offensive or misleading, contact us and we’ll have them blocked. Our filtering of ads ensures you get the most useful advertising possible. Click on a topical link below to view a page of ads related to that topic.