<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

At 06:35 PM 4/16/97 -0400, Elise Gorseth wrote:
>I have a question regarding the status of glutamate and MSG as being
>non-gluten free. It is my understanding that these items, which are both
>amino acids, are derived from animal sources rather than plant. Does anyone
>have any hard evidence regarding the status of glutamate, or is have the
>comments of late been of a more anecdotal nature?

It may be that there is not gluten in msg but that you have a sensitivity
to it anyway.

Here's some quotes from an article which appeared in the SF Chronicle on
4/2/97 (it originally appeared in the LA Times and I think has been
discussed here).  The headline is:  HIDDEN GLUTAMATES LURK IN PACKAGED FOODS.

"Glutamic acid is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein.  It
is most commonly found in food in its salt form, glutamate, which comes in
two forms - that which is bound to protein and that which is free of
protein...

"The exact chemical basis for some people's reactions to free glutamate is
still unclear.  Some scientists say it only becomes a problem when it
becomes unbound in the manufacturing process.  Free glutamate that occurs
naturally in vegetables like tomato, they say, isn't harmful.

"The FDA says there is no difference...

"The issue of individual sensitivity to monosodium glutamate and similar
products is highly controversial....Critics say the presence of free
glutamate can trigger reactions in people who are sensitive to it ranging
from dizziness and shortness of breath to headaches and drowsiness.

"But at least one neuro scientist, Washington University's John W. Olney, a
member of the National Academy of Sciences, claims free glutamate can cause
brain damage - particularly in children....

"The FDA's proposal is based, in part, on a two-day panel by the Federation
of American Societies for Experimental Biology, or FASEB, that was called
in 1993 to review the existing scientific literature on glutamate.  It
released its report in 1995, finding that, although MSG is safe at normally
consumed levels for the public at large, there are people who are sensitive
to it."


Susan Krauss
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