Who has MSG sensitivity?

From http://www.msgmyth.com/brochure.pdf

Monosodium Glutamate, MSG, is called a "flavor enhancer". It is not a preservative and it has no nutritional value. It does nothing to food, but it does affect the person using it. It's called an "excitotoxin" or neurotoxin by leading neuroscientists because of its degenerative and deadly effects on the brain and nervous system. Neurons are over stimulated to the point of exhaustion and cell death. MSG first goes to the brain through membranes in the mouth and throat, and also enters the blood stream as MSG laden foods are digested. It tricks the brain into thinking it's getting something tasty.

MSG is not a naturally occurring substance. It's man-made from glutamic acid, which is an amino acid found in all complete proteins. These amino acids occur naturally in many plant and animal tissues. Artificially created MSG involves processes that break down and change naturalbound glutamate (usually from corn, grain starches, molasses) into various free forms of glutamate. One form, d-glutamic acid is never found in nature. Free glutamates can enter the blood stream 8-10 times faster than bound or natural glutamate which is found in tomatoes, milk, and mushrooms.

Commercial processes used today to manufacture MSG weren't in use until the 1960s. There's nothing "natural" about the MSG in wide use today. Aspartame (NutraSweet®) is another widely used excitotoxin.

MSG came into wide use in the mid-1970s and gained in popularity with food producers through the 1980s. MSG and aspartame are two powerful excitotoxic food additives that flooded the food industry by the mid-1980s. MSG is linked to numerous diseases, symptoms, and complaints. It affects the neurological systems of the body. These same ailments are being researched and reported to be on the rise, often unexpectedly and without explanation.

Here is a brief list of common effects of MSG and some curious statistics published by national organizations.

Heart maladies- More than 70 million Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease and 43% of all deaths in the U.S. are related to these problems. The number of cardiovascular operations went up 287% from 1980-1990.

Alzheimer's disease, not an identifiable healthcare cost in 1980, now ranks third after cancer and Heart disease among the most costly health problems in America. Four million people afflicted at a cost of $47,000/person/year, is $188 billion/year in healthcare costs.

Headaches & Migraines- $2.2 billion/year are spent on drugs to treat headaches, with a 74% increase in these chronic conditions between 1980-1990.

Asthma, which was on the decline until the mid-eighties, now shows a 100% increase in the Death Rate among children and seniors. Incidence has increased 600% in the last 10 years. The FDA recognizes that "uncontrollable asthma" can be caused by MSG, but stops there, unfortunately.

Tumors- There has been an 88% increase in tumors since 1982.

Birth Defects and Reproduction Disorders - MSG is a known "mutagen" (mutates fetuses) and causes significant damage to intellectual development, growth patterns, reproduction and gonadal

functions.

Neurological/Emotional Disorders - Lab studies show devastating effects on brain development including dyslexia, autism, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, schizophrenia, violent episodes (rage), panic attacks, seizures, paranoia, depression, and cerebral palsy. Humans are 5 times more

sensitive to MSG than rats which were used in tests.

Obesity is one of the most consistent effects of excitotoxin exposure and is a growing problem, nationwide, that knows no age or sex boundaries. In fact, scientists feed glutamate to young laboratory animals as a reliable way of inducing obesity. MSG triggers an insulin/adrenalin/fat storage/food craving response. This depletes seratonin levels which trigger headaches, depression, fatigue, and leads to more food cravings.

Fibromyalgia is a growing epidemic. Fibromyalgia patients who eliminated MSG and aspartame during a study conducted by the University of Florida reported complete relief of symptoms (2001).

Parkinson's, ALS, MS, and Huntington's diseases, like Alzheimer's, are all progressive neurogenic diseases showing brain/nerve cell damage.

Other symptoms of MSG sensitivity include: swollen throat and tongue, racing heart, joint pain, vertigo, skin disorders, sleeping disorders, burning, tightness or redness on face, and gastrointestinal complaints.