Monosodium\nglutamate contains manufactured free glutamic acid (glutamate), a free amino\nacid that can kill brain cells, disrupt the endocrine system, and cause adverse\nreactions such as migraine headache, asthma, a-fib, tachycardia, and seizures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first data\npertaining to toxicity of manufactured\/processed free glutamate (MfG) can be\nfound in studies going back to the 1940s, with the first ones related to\nglutamate-induced retinal degeneration dating from the 1950s. The first research\nto rock the boat for Ajinomoto, Inc. (the world\u2019s largest producer of MSG),\ncame from John Olney\u2019s study \u201cBrain lesions, obesity, and other disturbances in\nmice treated with monosodium glutamate,\u201d shown to Ajinomoto in 1968, and\npublished in 1969 in Science<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1969 report\nof brain damage was followed by five\ndecades<\/em> of research where it was demonstrated repeatedly that ingestion of\nMfG will cause brain damage, endocrine disorders, and observable adverse\nreactions; that free glutamate accumulated in inter-cellular spaces in the\nbrain will cause brain damage; and that accumulations of free glutamate are\nassociated with abnormalities such as addiction, stroke, epilepsy, degenerative\ndisorders (Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease, for example),\nbrain trauma, neuropathic pain, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression, jointly\nreferred to as the “glutamate cascade.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Data that confirm that free glutamate, monosodium glutamate, and hydrolyzed proteins cause brain damage<\/a> and neuroendocrine<\/a> disorders can be accessed at the Truth in Labeling website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discussion of flawed glutamate-industry studies<\/a> can also be found at the TLC site. The story of glutamate-industry suppression of data, \u201cThe toxicity\/safety of processed free glutamic acid (MSG): A study in suppression of information,\u201d published in 1999 in Accountability in Research<\/em>, can be read online by clicking here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since 1968, the\nglutamate industry has vigorously denied monosodium glutamate toxicity. Their\nuse of scientists-for-hire, rigged research, infiltration of government\nagencies, control of major media, and a propaganda campaign second to none, has\npaid off for them as witnessed by the fact that so many are buying into the\nfiction that the toxicity of monosodium glutamate, and the toxicity of its\nglutamic acid are controversial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On January 28, 2019, the SciShow on YouTube, hosted by Stefan Chin, gave us one of the finest examples of glutamate-industry propaganda seen to date, designed to convince its audience that monosodium glutamate is a harmless food additive. Chin\u2019s recipe for deception <\/a>is classic.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 1<\/strong>. Talk fast. Say positive things about monosodium glutamate. Some of those good things may contradict one another, but it doesn\u2019t matter because the audience will hear a series of confident statements and won\u2019t have time to notice the inconsistencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 2<\/strong>. Acknowledge that research on monosodium glutamate\u2019s \u201csafety\u201d has been found questionable by some. Don\u2019t make an issue of it, just acknowledge the criticism so no one can say that you ignored critical studies. Then simply say that science<\/em><\/strong> disagrees. No need to offer evidence. Just plant the seed that science says monosodium glutamate is safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 3<\/strong>. Paint a glowing picture of monosodium glutamate. Use affirmative words and phrases in your discussion. Whether they are relevant or not makes no difference. Whether they make sense or are random phrases does not matter. Make no mention of any negatives. Your audience should have positive thoughts and take away positive images of monosodium glutamate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the phrases,\nstatements, and images that Chin associates with monosodium glutamate include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPurified MSG\u201d While\nmentioning the positive roles that glutamate plays when not present in amounts\nneeded to produce excitotoxicity, its role as an excitatory neurotransmitter is\nsubtlety mentioned and goosed over. \nThere is no mention of the fact that this excitatory neurotransmitter<\/em><\/strong>\nkills brain cells, disrupts the endocrine system, causes adverse reactions like\nmigraine headache, seizures, a-fib, tachycardia, asthma and more, and is known\nto play a role in neurodegenerative diseases including ALS and Alzheimer\u2019s\ndisease, schizophrenia, depression, and all the other abnormalities considered\nto be part of the glutamate cascade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 4<\/strong>. Once the picture has been drawn and the scene has been set, begin to twist the truth in a fashion that isn\u2019t obvious. Chin starts by pairing the terms monosodium glutamate and umami, glutamate and umami, and glutamate and monosodium glutamate. Psychologists call this process \u201cconditioning.\u201d Others might call it \u201cbrain washing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUmami\u201d is a\nword used for centuries by the Japanese to denote a really good taste of\nsomething \u2013 a taste or flavor that exemplifies the flavor of a food. Umami is a descriptive term. It\u2019s an adjective. It\u2019s not a \u201cthing,\u201d it describes a\nthing. Chin builds the case for using\nthe word \u201cumami\u201d as a synonym for \u201cmonosodium glutamate.\u201d He also uses \u201cumami\u201d\nas a synonym for \u201cglutamate,\u201d calling \u201cglutamate receptors\u201d \u201cumami\nreceptors.\u201d Throughout the balance of\nhis presentation, Chin uses \u201cglutamate,\u201d \u201cmonosodium glutamate,\u201d and \u201cumami\u201d\nalmost interchangeably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From twisting\nthe truth, Chin moves to misrepresentations, half-truth, and blatant lies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 5<\/strong>. Misrepresentations <\/p>\n\n\n\n To make a “misrepresentation” simply means to state as a fact something which is false or untrue. <\/strong>To be considered fraudulent, a misrepresentation must be false, <\/strong>and it must be material in the sense that it relates to a matter of some importance or significance rather than a minor or trivial detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 6<\/strong>. Half-truths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The legal definition of a \u201chalf-truth\u201d is to omit or withhold a statement of fact, knowledge of which is necessary to make other statements not misleading. It would be a material omission if it relates to a matter of some importance or significance rather than a minor or trivial detail. A material omission is one of the components of fraud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 7<\/strong>. Blatant lies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following are examples of\nmisrepresentations, half-truths, and lies, taken from Chin\u2019s \u201cThe truth about\nMSG and your health\u201d propaganda piece. These\nare common to glutamate-industry propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGlutamate is an important building block for protein. And it also helps nerve cells send signals to other cells in the body. It\u2019s the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in vertebrates. Since it\u2019s so important for our bodies\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n OMITTED: Since 1957, and particularly since 1968, there have been growing numbers of studies documenting brain damage, endocrine disorders, and adverse reactions following ingestion of MSG. The glutamate cascade has been implicated in such disease conditions as addiction, stroke, epilepsy, degenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease), brain trauma, neuropathic pain, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPurified MSG wasn\u2019t a thing\nuntil 1908\u201d when a Japanese chemist realized that the base made from kombu\nseaweed in his soup imparted a delicious flavor \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n MISREPRESENTATION: What is \u201cpurified MSG?\u201d The flavor enhancing component of monosodium glutamate is the L-glutamic acid that was once extracted from protein-rich foods and is now produced in large part by genetically modified bacteria which excrete glutamic acid through their cell walls. When L-glutamic acid is produced\/manufactured by either method, unwanted by-products of manufacture (impurities) inevitably accompany the sought-after L-glutamic acid. Two of those impurities are D-glutamic acid and pyroglutamic acid. Other impurities depend on the source material used in producing the L-glutamic acid and the method of production. Moreover, to date, efforts to remove the impurities accompanying L-glutamic acid have been unsuccessful. Which begs the question, what exactly is \u201cpurified MSG?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStudies have shown that\numami functions as a flavor enhancer, creating a harmony between various\nflavors \u2026.\u201d \u201cA 2007 study published in\nthe European Journal of Neuroscience….wherein the brain activity map lit up\nmore from the combo of drinks\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n OMITTED:\nStudies demonstrating that monosodium glutamate and other products that contain\nprocessed free glutamic acid cause brain lesions, endocrine disorders, and\nobservable adverse reactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s an amino\nacid that the human body can synthesize glutamate, but that we also get from\nour food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n OMITTED:\nThere is no need for humans to ingest glutamate should the body be deficient,\nbecause glutamate can be synthesized from other amino acids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile you\u2019ve\nmight have been told that it\u2019s bad for you, or causes the so called Chinese\nrestaurant syndrome, Science disagrees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT:\nIndependent scientists have either read the scientific literature and concluded\nthat monosodium glutamate kills brain cells, is an endocrine disruptor, and\ncauses adverse reactions, or have no opinion on the subject. It is only those scientists who are employed\nby the glutamate industry who maintain that monosodium glutamate is a harmless\nfood additive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMSG stands for monosodium glutamate, the sodium salt of\nglutamate\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: Monosodium glutamate is a manufactured\ningredient\/product. Glutamate is the\nsodium salt of glutamic acid. Monosodium\nglutamate contains glutamate, the sodium salt of glutamic acid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince it\u2019s so important for our bodies, it\u2019s\nnot surprising we\u2019ve evolved a taste for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n MISREPRESENTATION:\n\u201cevolved a taste for it\u201d as in \u201cevolution?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: Certain glutamate receptors on the tongue\nhave been called \u201cumami receptors by Ajinomoto. \nAs marketing professionals would say, they\u2019ve been given a name and been\nbranded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have umami-specific receptors on or\ntongues and in our stomachs\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: There are glutamate receptors throughout the\nhuman body. In 2009, Chaudhari, Pereira,\nand Roper\nstated that \u201cOver the past 15 years,\nseveral receptors have been proposed<\/em><\/strong> to underlie umami detection\nin taste buds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd these drive our love for foods that contain glutamates\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: This is so irrelevant it isn\u2019t even a misrepresentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd umami-rich foods have been staples in human\ndiets forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: Glutamate-rich foods (which would necessarily\nbe protein-rich foods) have been staples in human diets for centuries. Umami is an adjective that means flavorful or\ndelicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt all started with a 1968 letter to the editor of the New\nEngland Journal of Medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: In 1968, the same year that Dr. Ho Man\nKwok published his letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>, John Olney, M.D., determined that\nmonosodium glutamate administered to mice caused brain damage and endocrine\ndisruption. Olney reached out to Ajinomoto\nU.S.A., Inc. to discuss his\nfindings. In response, Ajinomoto\nestablished a nonprofit corporation, recruited scientists and others to defend\nthe safety of its product, and unleashed a powerful public relations\ncampaign. Ajinomoto\u2019s researchers claimed to be replicating the animal work\nof Olney and others who found monosodium glutamate-induced toxicity, but their\nresearchers did not actually replicate. Although it had been established that\nbrain lesions could not be identified if examination was not done within<\/em> 24 hours after insult,\nglutamate-industry researchers routinely examined the brains of test animals after<\/em> 24 hours had elapsed. They also\nused inappropriate methods and materials for\nstaining the material they were examining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 1980s, human double-blind studies were undertaken, from\nwhich glutamate-industry researchers would claim they found no adverse effects\nfrom ingestion of monosodium glutamate. \nFor these studies, glutamate-industry researchers used of a variety of\ntechniques virtually guaranteeing negative results — lacing placebos with\naspartame being their fail-safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe idea took hold, spurring\nyears of biased science based on the flawed assumption that CRS was a real\nthing, and that MSG caused it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT:\nThe idea that monosodium glutamate causes adverse reactions such a migraine\nheadache followed the fact that a great number of people suffered migraines and\nother abnormalities after eating something containing monosodium glutamate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT:\n\u201cbiased science,\u201d \u201cflawed assumption,\u201d and \u201cflawed assumption that CRS was a\nreal thing\u201d are some of the undefined negative phrases used in\nglutamate-industry propaganda to paint a negative image of those who challenge\nthe safety of monosodium glutamate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDouble-blinded placebo controlled studies\u2026have failed to\nfind a reproducible response to ingesting foods with MSG.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACT: Glutamate-industry studies have been rigged to \u201cfail to find\u201d responses to ingesting foods with MSG. For further details look here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following recitation of misrepresentations, half-truths,\nand blatant lies, Chin moved to degrading those who have observed that\nmonosodium glutamate and other ingredients that contain excitotoxic glutamic\nacid have toxic potential. The following\nparagraph was taken from the video. \nEmphasis has been added to point to negative references.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile our love of MSG comes\nfrom biology, a lot of people\u2019s aversion to it seems to have roots in something\nelse entirely. Racism<\/em><\/strong>. It all started\nwith a 1968 letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine\u2026. The\nidea took hold, spurring years of biased science<\/em><\/strong> based on\nthe flawed assumption<\/em><\/strong> that CRS was a real thing, and that MSG caused\nit. Subsequent animal studies seemingly\nconfirmed the idea, but these often consisted of injecting super\nconcentrated doses of MSG directly into creature\u2019s abdomen, which isn\u2019t exactly\na scientific approach<\/em><\/strong> to determining the effects of MSG sprinkled into\nsaucepans. More recently research on MSG\naversion has taken into account the xenophobia and racism<\/em><\/strong> that fueled\nit. And over the last 3 decades, a\nnumber of double-blinded placebo-controlled studies, including studies of\nsubjects with reported sensitivity to MSG, have failed to find a reproducible\nresponse to ingesting foods with MSG<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chin\u2019s last\nsentence is priceless. Those\ndouble-blind placebo-controlled studies were certainly \u201cplacebo\ncontrolled.\u201d The placebos used invariably\ncontained excitotoxic aspartame (in aspartame) or another excitotoxic amino\nacid, making it inevitable that there would be as many reactions to the placebo\nas there were to the monosodium glutamate test material. As early as 1978, Ajinomoto\u2019s placebos were\nbeing laced with aspartame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And those \u201csubjects with reported sensitivity to MSG\u201d? They were college students and\/or medical\nschool students who were paid generously to participate in the studies provided\nthat they said<\/em><\/strong> they were sensitive to MSG. No one verified that they were\nactually sensitive to MSG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingredient 8<\/strong>. Conclude with discussion of some positive thing that the glutamate industry is doing. Chin tells the audience that \u201cInvestigation into the potential health benefits of MSG is ongoing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only ingredient that Chin seems to have failed to include in his recipe for deception was The Whopper<\/a> — the lie that we aren\u2019t exposed to enough MfG in processed foods to cause us any harm.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlutamate-rich\u201d
\u201cMSG is umami in its purest form\u201d
\u201cFor love of MSG\u201d
\u201cSavory taste\u201d
\u201cThe savory taste that\u2019s taking over the culinary scene\u201d
\u201cA building block of protein\u201d
\u201cCulinary gold\u201d
\u201cUbiquitous in kitchens\u201d
\u201cGone global\u201d
\u201cA staple\u201d
\u201cUniversal love for MSG\u201d
\u201cTeam umami\u201d
\u201cYou\u2019ve been team umami from the get-go\u201d
\u201cLove of MSG comes from biology\u201d
\u201cIn vertebrates\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n