Has anyone heard of something called "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome"? It is a collection of symptoms which some people experience after eating Chinese food. Why does it relate to Chinese food? Well, among Chinese community, using additives such as MSG is part of their daily food-cooking routine. The use of MSG as food additive can be traced to Asian antiquity, when cooks used a variety of seaweed to make starch used in traditional recipe.
The connection between the flavor improvement produced by seaweed and glutamate was discovered in Japan. It was then introduced to United States almost 70 years ago, and now, many countries in this world are using it widely as food enhancer.
Monosodium Glutamate is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, a form of glutamate. MSG has been used for a very long time as food enchancer, but the adverse physiological effects were discovered by two British guys while studying a rare eye disorder. While trying to improve the condition in test animals by feeding MSG, it was discovered that the test animal suffered severe destruction of the cells in the retina. Their report went virtually unnoticed, until another research scientist repeat similar test to study neural connections within the brain structures. What was discovered, shocked the scientist as he found out that MSG not only destroyed retina cells, but also killed vital neurons within the brain itself!
Glutamate is normally found in many foods, including vegetables and meats. To prevent this glutamate from entering the brain and setting off destructive toxicity, GOD created a special boundary called 'blood-brain barrier', that prevents the most harmful substances in the blood from entering the brain. Glutamate only causes toxicity when it is found floating freely outside a neuron, and the brain possesses safety measure to protect itself.
Under normal circumstances, the blood-brain barrier is very efficient. Unfortunately, due to persistent manipulation of the foods we consume, has endangered the balance necessary for this protective system to operate correctly. By adding high concentrations of free glutamate to food, blood glutamate levels are far higher then intended, degrading the ability of the protective blood-brain barrier. If the blood levels remain high, the glutamate can gradually seep into the brain pass the barrier, creating havoc.
It is now recognized that many conditions cause the blood-brain barrier to become defective. Diseases such as hypertension, stroke, head injury, infections, brain tumors, autism, MS, Alzheimer's and even aging itself have been shown to result in impairment of the blood-brain barrier. To all the parents out there reading this following information, infant from birth to three years of age, the barrier system is also deficient. Unless you intend to harm your infant in any possible way, then feed your kid with food containing MSG! I hope parents have the responsibility to treat this seriously when comes to providing meals to infant of young age. Your kid doesn't know what types of food is good or bad to their health. I have seen personally tons of parents feeding their kids with junk food containing MSG. Dining in fast food outlets is one easy way to kill yourself with MSG!
With very high doses, neurons swell and die within few minutes. Slightly lower doses of MSG, delayed the cell death to about an hour. If consumed at much lower dose, one can feel confused, disoriented or have difficulty thinking clearly. If continuation of consuming processed food, physical damage will eventually result.
There is a close connection between free radicals with excitotoxicity. I will write about free radicals in other post in time to come. Free radicals damages virtually every part of the cell. Free radicals in the brain cause astrocyte cells to release their glutamate, thus, further enhancing excitotoxicity. The cycle continues until severe damage occurs.
People with high level of antioxidants, powerfully protect against excitotoxicity. The presence and levels of antioxidant depends on nutrition. If ones eat good healthy diet and takes special supplements, the level of these enzymes will be high. One of the most important antioxidants in the brain is called glutathione. The levels of glutathione is important because it can neutralize certain types of free radicals. Studies have shown that glutathione levels are low in all neurodegenerative diseases.
Another important protective factor is the amount of magnesium in the diet. Magnesium plays an important role to protect the brain, especially against excitotoxicity. This means if someone who is deficient in magnesium, one will indefinitely more sensitive to glutamate damage. Magnesium deficiency is very common in industrialize countries, which includes Malaysia!
Experiments have shown that when the brain's energy levels are low, excitotoxicity damage is greatly magnified. Brain levels fall for many reasons. For instance, diabetics overshoot their insulin needs. Also, excessive exercise during poor glycogen storage can lead to hypoglycemia. When someone experiences hypoglycemia, the brain has essentially no glycogen to operate. During these spells, the brain is operating on low glucose supply and the brain secretes increasing amount of glutamate and aspartate. This is why one feels hyperactive and even angry, when feeling hungry. Unfortunately, most of us are unknowingly 'injured' everyday by high intake of additives such as glutamate and aspartate. Those with fewer protective factors such as low energy supply, magnesium levels, antioxidant defenses and glutathione levels, will be the ones eventually develop a neurodegenerative disease.
To be continued...
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