MSG & obesity

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  Nov, 2004  by Jule Klotter

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Could the rise in obesity in the US be partly due to the amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in processed food and restaurant fare? Food manufacturers add MSG to almost every food product to enhance flavor and encourage people to eat more. Unfortunately, the additive stimulates the pancreas to overproduce insulin. After the insulin rushes to store available sugar as fat, blood sugar levels drop, and the person becomes hungry, tired, and ready to eat again. John Erb, who wrote The Slow Poisoning of America, says that human studies show that people eat more and eat more quickly when food is laced with MSG. He found over 500 studies in which MSG was injected in day-old laboratory rats and mice in order to make them obese with a tendency toward diabetes. In test animals, MSG causes a chronic overproduction of insulin. The body then produces killer T cells to attack and shut down the pancreas.

In addition to stimulating insulin production, MSG is known to damage the hypothalamus (which controls hunger) and other areas of the brain. MSG (like aspartame) is an excitotoxin--a substance that over-excites and kills certain neurons. Glutamate industry defenders dispute the charge, saying that MSG contains glutamate, a neurotransmitter that occurs naturally in the brain and is found naturally in many foods. Russell L. Blaylock, MD explains that glutamate is normally found in minute concentrations (8-12 micrograms) in extracellular fluid in the brain. By ingesting MSG, which is 79% free glutamic acid, those concentrations rise and neurons begin to fire abnormally. Also, the glutamate in seaweed, tomatoes, and other crops is bound, which means it is digested more slowly than free glutamate. Many of these foods also contain antioxidants and other nutrients that protect the body from glutamate's negative effects.

Aware that the addition of MSG to a product is controversial, food manufacturers have turned to other flavor-enhancers that contain free glutamic acid, ingredients such as yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein (including hydrolyzed vegetable/soy protein), calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, textured protein, hydrolyzed corn gluten, and autolyzed yeast. Since 1997, MSG has been an ingredient in AuxiGro, a growth enhancer that is sprayed on a variety of crops including lettuce, strawberries, and giant russet potatoes. Since MSG is being added to so many foods, people eat about a teaspoon of it each day--far higher than the micrograms found in a tomato.

Blaylock, Russell L., MD. Excitotoxins, Neurodegeneration and Neurodevelopment. www.nancymarkle.com/blayenn.txt

Hidden Sources of Processed Free Glutamic Acid (MSG) www.truthinlabeling.com

MSG and Obesity. www.msgtruth.org/obesity.htm

Proof MSG Causes Obesity in Experimental Studies. www.rense.com/genera153/ob.htm

Where is MSG hidden? www.truthinlabeling.com

COPYRIGHT 2004 The Townsend Letter Group
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