52 Diet Wise
early 80s, I frequently had to point out that food allergy and intolerance was
not simply a matter of “junk food” or, as people usually supposed, food
additives and flavorings to alter the taste of food. These include MSG and
what is laughably called natural flavoring are used to artificially enhance the
taste of food so that it tastes better. In other words their sole purpose is to
sell you stuff you wouldn’t otherwise eat it. Trust me.
Be especially aware of hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which is
sometimes passed off as “natural flavorings,” since it comes from vegetables.
You should know that the vegetables are treated with an acid soak, followed
by caustic soda to neutralize the acid. The end result is a brown sludge
that you are expected to believe is “natural.” Other ingredients to look out
for are vegetable protein, textured protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, soy
protein extract, caseinate and yeast extract.
These disgusting products are added to a huge variety of foods,
from canned tuna to baby food. Yes, baby food! This is despite the fact
that it is known that the immature nervous system is especially vulnerable
to these bandit food ingredients. Don’t get fooled by the quantities either,
or believe they are safe. There is enough monosodium glutamate in a single
bowl of commercially available soup to raise a child’s blood glutamate
beyond that required to cause nerve damage in immature animals.
One of the MSG industry’s chief arguments for the safety of their
product is that glutamate in the blood cannot cross the so-called blood-
brain barrier. This is incorrect. Parts of the brain are not protected by the
blood-brain barrier and one of the most important, the hypothalamus, is
especially susceptible to damage by glutamate in MSG.
One of the earliest and most consistent findings with exposure
to MSG is damage to an area of the hypothalamus known as the arcuate
nucleus. This small group of special cells controls a multitude of
neuroendocrine functions, as well as being intimately connected to several
other hypothalamic nuclei, to which the malfunction will spread.
In any case there are many disorders known to alter the permeability
of the blood-brain barrier and cause it to “leak.” These conditions include
hypertension, diabetes, ministrokes, major strokes, head trauma, multiple
sclerosis, brain tumors, chemotherapy, radiation treatments to the nervous
system, collagen-vascular diseases (lupus), AIDS, brain infections, a number
of drugs and Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover the blood-brain barrier
protects less and less as a consequence of natural aging. There may be many
other conditions also associated with barrier disruption that are as yet not
known.
Fore more information, I refer you to Russell Blaylock’s excellent
book EXCITOTOXINS: The Taste That Kills, Health Press, Santa Fe, 1997.