MSG and seizures

Re: MSG and seizures

Submitted by pgd on Wed, 2010-10-20 - 17:50

It is possible, by changing food shopping habits and visiting stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes (and so on) to consume whole, additive-free foods. Is MSG deemed to be what's really behind most seizures? No. Are a few children and adults extremely sensitive to a few food additives (not all food additives) and feel better by choosing foods which do not contain those food additives? Yes. Will that cure epilepsy or ADHD or some other similar neurological challenge? No (my view). The whole area of food additives is a little controversial since it appears that most persons are immune to food additives or food additives are not a concern to most persons. At the same time, there are a small number of reports which clearly show a (subtle) link between paying attention, cognition, and memory and a few food additives for a few persons with ADHD, epilepsy, and so on (not everyone with ADHD, epilepsy, and so on). Have read a number of books on the topic of food additives over the years and the one I remember as being well-documented (since it was about completely hidden food additives) was a How To (understand) Hyperactivity book (1981) about ADHD Inattentive by C. Thomas Wild with Anita Uhl Brothers, M.D. which called for full disclosure ingredient labeling for drugs and foods which contain food additives such as FD&C Yellow Food Color No. 5 (tartrazine), the artificial sweetener, sodium saccharin, MSG, etc. Neither Wild nor Brothers believed that food additives cause classic ADHD at all but it is clear that a few food additives do act as powerful, undisclosed drugs for a few persons that can affect a variety of areas from cognition, to sleeping, to how fast wounds/scrapes heal, etc.

Re: MSG and seizures

Submitted by phylisfjohnson on Fri, 2010-10-22 - 13:45

PGD is right...Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are the ticket.  (I have terrible food allergies and I'm comfortable shopping there.)

Now for the spiel on MSG:

Don’t be fooled by the term “free glutamate”…

Some foods advertise “No MSG”, or “No added MSG”, but actually, they contain large amounts of a hidden MSG derivative, called “free glutamate”. Many people experience adverse reactions but are not aware that the cause may be exposure to this substance, free glutamate, which is created in manufacturing processes. When any product contains at least 79% free glutamic acid it must be called MSG. Quantities of less than this amount, do not fall under MSG labeling restrictions, and can be called any number of innocent sounding names, such as “natural flavoring”. In larger quantities, free glutamate is toxic to everyone, but for those who cannot metabolize it effectively, even very small doses can act like a poison. MSG stimulates or damages glutamate receptors, making them more sensitive to subsequent ingestion of MSG. Science suggests that free glutamates may act as a “slow neurotoxin” with damage, such as dementia, only becoming apparent years later.

Stealth dangers…

The tricky part for consumers is that current labeling allows for free glutamate to be hidden under more than 40 different names making it extremely difficult for MSG sensitive individuals to identify. For example, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, another name for free glutamate, is widely used in many manufactured food products. Brain lesions have been produced again and again experimentally using hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Also, it has been determined that when these substances are combined together, as can be found in the lengthy ingredient list of many prepared foods, they become much more toxic than when used individually. Commercial soups, sauces, and gravies that are in liquid forms are even more toxic than solid forms, because liquids are rapidly absorbed and attain high concentrations in the blood.

Hidden names and sources of MSG…

This is where it gets scary.  MSG is hidden in more foods and ingredients than you’d ever dream of.  Here are some examples:

“Enriched”, fermented, protein fortified, ultra pasteurized, broth, bouillon, caramel flavoring, corn syrup, cornstarch, dry milk solids, natural flavoring, gelatin, gums, malt extract, milk powder, modified food starch, potassium glutamate, seasonings, soy protein, soy sauce or extract, stock, vitamin “enriched,” whey protein, yeast extract and yeast nutrients.

So, buyer beware.  Read those food labels carefully!      Phylis Feiner Johnson    www.epilepsytalk.com