>MORE ON ASPARTAME et al....
>Verbatim from this URL: http://www.lauralee.com/blaylock.htm
>So what are "excitotoxins"? Basically, they are a group of compounds
>that can cause special neurons within the nervous system to become
>overexcited to the point that these cells will die.
>That's right, they are excited to death. Excitotoxins include such
>things as monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartate (a main ingredient in
>NutraSweet), L-cysteine (found in hydrolyzed vegetable protein) and
>related compounds.
>What makes this all the more intriguing is that "excitotoxins" appear to
>play a key role in degenerative nervous system diseases such as
>Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's, ALS (Lou
>Gehrig's disease) and many others.
>But the story doesn't stop there. It appears that an imbalance of these
>excitotoxins during critical periods of brain development can result in
>an abnormal formation of brain pathways; that is, a "miswiring of the
>brain." This may lead to serious disorders such as behavioral problems
>(hyperactivity, aggression, attention deficit disorders, learning
>disorders, poor learning ability, and ADD)-and a lifetime of endocrine
>problems such as menstrual difficulties, infertility, and premature
>puberty.
>One of the earliest observations seen in animals exposed to largedoses
>of MSG was gross obesity. Some neuroscientists have voicedconcern that
>America's explosion of childhood obesity may be related to excitotoxins
>in food.
> MANIPULATING THE LANGUAGE (AND THE DATA)
>The defenders of 'glutamate safety' have gone through an evolving litany
>of defenses. First, they denied that brain lesions could result from any
>dose of glutamate. Then, when the evidence became overwhelming, they
>claimed that these lesions only occurred when MSG was injected and not
>ingested. When this was disproved, they denied that human blood levels
>could reach concentrations that would be toxic to the brain.
>When this was shown not to be true, even by one of their own defenders,
>they simply stated, "So what? It still cannot enter the brain because of
>the blood brain barrier." (This is a special "gatekeeper" that normally
>excludes toxic chemicals from entering the brain from the blood.)
>But, as even shown by the government-sponsored FASEB report, the brain
>has several vital areas that have no barrier. (For example, the
>hypothalamus.) And it was shown that glutamate can pass into protected
>areas of the brain by seeping through the unprotected areas. Also,
>there are many medical conditions that cause the barrier to fail, such
>as hypertension, diabetes, brain tumors, brain trauma, heat stroke,
>vascular stroke, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerate diseases, and with
>some medications. All of these people would be at great risk.
>BRAIN DAMAGE, NOT AN ALLERGIC REACTION
>I often hear people say, "But I'm not sensitive to MSG. Chinese food
>doesn't bother me." This is a dangerous mistake. The destructive
>effects of MSG and related compounds is not an allergic reaction, it is
>a toxic reaction that occurs in virtually everyone. Some are more
>sensitive to these destructive effects than others, but everyone is
>affected to some degree.
>The MSG-symptom complex differs from the excitoxic reaction. The former
>is quite obvious to the person (headaches, pressure in the chest, heart
>palpitations, numbness in the arms and face, etc.), while the latter may
>remain clinically silent for many years.
>SILENT LESIONS
>What makes "excitotoxins" so dangerous is the subtle way in which they
>damage the nervous system. Often the damage goes on for years, even
>decades, before clinically recognizable disease is evident.
>For example, when an unborn child is exposed to MSG in the mother's
>diet, behavioral and learning difficulties may not become evident until
>the child starts school. Endocrine problems may not surface until
>puberty or when the person is trying to start a family.
>Degenerative brain diseases, such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease
>may take even longer. It is the slow, unrelenting destruction of brain
>cells-secondary to exposure to food-born excitotoxins-that may lead to
>either the precipitation of these diseases or their aggravation. Most
>likely they are not caused by excitotoxins in the food.
>SO WHY WON'T THE FDA COME OUT AND SAY MSG IS DANGEROUS?
>For one thing, there appears to be a revolving door between the FDA and
>the manufacturers of and companies that use MSG. We often see that
>directors of the FDA on review panels suddenly appear some time later
>either working for the industry or with firms that support the industry.
>In the FASEB report, the FDA gleaned the wording that it wanted and
>packaged it so that it would say exactly what they wanted. For example,
>they reported that the study found no link between ingested MSG and
>neurodegenerative diseases. But in truth, what the report said was that
>no studies have been done to even see ifthere is a link. That is, no one
>is looking at these critical questions.
>Second, the FASEB investigators took the industry's studies on daily
>intakes of MSG at face value. This is ludicrous. Why won't the food
>processors release the data on how much MSG and other excitotoxic
>additives they add to each food item?
>What is interesting is that the FASEB study did say that they did
>consider concentration less than three grams a day as safe, which would
>imply that more than that is definitely dangerous. But even this is
>questionable.
>NUTRASWEET AND CANCER
>Can NutraSweet cause brain tumors, uterine and ovarian cancer?
>Research from its own laboratories says it can. In fact, that was why it
>was first rejected by the FDA for human consumption. This study found
>that, in all concentrations examined, NutraSweet produced a very high
>incidence of brain tumors. (The high dose NutraSweet caused a 47X
>increase in brain tumors over control animals.) Also found were uterine
>and ovarian tumors.
>The number of tumors produced seemed to be dose related. That is, the
>more NutraSweet consumed, the more likely tumors would develop. It
>appears that it is a breakdown product of NutraSweet called
>diketopiperizine (DKP) that is causing the tumors.
>Interestingly, with the passage of time more and more NutraSweet breaks
>down into DKP. This is why the soft drink companies have started to date
>diet colas. Heating NutraSweet also speeds up this process. This is why
>using NutraSweet in hot beverages and for cooking is especially
>hazardous.
>There has been an enormous increase in the number of brain tumors
>reported over the last decade. No other explanation has been given for
>this incredible explosion of brain tumors. If the early experiments
>linking NutraSweet with brain tumors is confirmed, we should all be
>outraged, both at the industry and at the FDA, our federal watch dog.
>LIST OF HIDDEN SOURCES OF MSG
>As discussed previously, the glutamate manufacturers and the processed
>food industries are always on a quest to disguise MSG added to food.
>Below is a partial fist of the most common names for disguised MSG.
>Remember also that the powerful excitotoxins aspartate and L-cysteine
>are frequently added to foods and according to FDA rules require no
>labeling at all.
>Additives that always contain MSG:
> Monosodium Glutamate
> Hydrolyzed Vegetable
>Protein
> Hydrolyzed Protein
> Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
> Plant Protein Extract
> Sodium Caseinate
> Calcium Caseinate
> Yeast Extract
> Textured Protein
> Autolyzed Yeast
> Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
>
>Additives that frequently contain MSG:
> Malt extract
> Malt Flavoring
> Bouillon
> Broth
> Stock
> Flavoring
> Natural Flavoring
> Natural Beef or Chicken
>Flavoring
> Seasoning
> Additives that may
>contain MSG or excitotoxins:
> Carrageenan
> Enzymes
> Soy Protein Concentrate
> Soy Protein Isolate
> Whey Protein Concentrate
> Additives that may
>contain MSG or excitotoxins:
> Carrageenan
> Enzymes
> Soy Protein Concentrate
> Soy Protein Isolate
> Whey Protein Concentrate
>
> Protease enzymes of various sources can release excitotoxin amino acids
>from food proteins
>EXCITOTOXINS
>the Taste That Kills,
>by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
>Trade Paper 6x9, 300 pages
> Item # 5710 $17.95
>Describes what excitotoxins are, where they are found, and how they
>react in the body. Dr. Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon,
>presents the latest research findings to demonstrate how exposure to
>excitotoxins will damage nerve cells in the brain. The use of aspartame,
>hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and monosodium glutamate in prepared foods
>and beverages continues to increase on a yearly basis. Dr. Blaylock
>clearly demonstrates that the neurotoxic potential of excitotoxins such
>as MSG and aspartame (NUTRASWEET) is so overwhelming that it can no
>longer be ignored.
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