\u201cEveryone\u2019s different.\u201d How many times have you heard that when investigating the cause of your MSG-sensitivity? Perhaps it has to do with genetics. But others in your family aren\u2019t affected. Why you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulnerability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone is sensitive to monosodium glutamate (MSG) and the manufactured free glutamic acid (MfG) in MSG if they get enough of it. To be toxic, it must either target glutamate receptors that have become weakened or vulnerable to its attack, or be in such strong concentrations that no glutamate receptor can resist it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Vulnerability\nmay be caused by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you react to glutamate, you\u2019re reacting to excess free glutamate. Of course, what is an excess for you will not necessarily be excess for me. While excess might be defined as \u201cmore than is needed for normal body function,\u201d that doesn\u2019t seem to be the case with glutamate-sensitivity. Rather, excess seems to be related to any amount<\/em><\/strong> of glutamate that will damage or kill your<\/em><\/strong> vulnerable glutamate receptors. (And as a side note, glutamate is classified as a non-essential amino acid, meaning that there is no need for a human to ingest glutamate as the body will produce what it needs from other available amino acids).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding glutamate receptors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Glutamate\nreceptors receive the glutamate sent to them by glutamate neurotransmitters. Although\nglutamic acid (glutamate) is essential to normal body function, when present in excess<\/em> outside of intact protein<\/em> it becomes excitotoxic, firing repeatedly\nand causing cell death and\/or damage to targeted cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If cells are\nprotected from excess glutamate, as the brain may be protected at least in part\nby a robust BBB, a little excess glutamate sent their way may not harm them.\nBut if the BBB can\u2019t do its job, targeted cells die. Outside of the brain and\ncentral nervous system, glutamate-receptors may have no protective shield from\nexcitotoxins at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Relatively recently,\nresearchers discovered glutamate-receptors outside the brain and central\nnervous system. These include, but are\nnot limited to peripheral receptors in the stomach, heart, lungs,\nkidney, liver, immune system, spleen, and\ntestis. And\ncells associated with each may be damaged or killed if glutamate sent from\nglutamate neurotransmitters reaches them. It\u2019s possible that these peripheral\nreceptors may have some type of protection system, but if so, scientists have\nnot yet identified it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Years\nago we had thought it remarkable that glutamate-toxicity worked through the\nbrain \u2013 since glutamate could produce an immediate migraine headache. Glutamate\neaten \u2013 brain triggered \u2013 headache happened within seconds. Today we know that glutamate\ncan move directly to peripheral receptors without traveling through the brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It appears that\ncells that host glutamate receptors can be damaged<\/strong>\nif exposed to a little glutamate, but not enough to kill them outright. There\nmight be times when one ingests enough MfG to damage a cell, but not enough to\nkill it, or damage some of the cells in a group that control a particular\nfunction but not enough to knock out all of them. Ingest more glutamate on a\nsecond occasion, however, and those cells may die. Some MfG-sensitive people\nreport that they can knowingly ingest MfG in a favorite food on one occasion\nwithout noticing a reaction, but react when that same food is consumed several\ndays in a row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would make your glutamate-receptors\nmore vulnerable?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One reason, of\ncourse, is damage to the BBB. We know that lack of blood-brain barrier\ndevelopment in the fetus and infant make them extremely vulnerable to exposure\nto MfG passed through their mothers\u2019 diets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Damage done to\nthe BBBs of mature humans through use of drugs, from seizures, stroke, head trauma,\nhypoglycemia, hypertension, extreme physical stress, high fever, and the normal\nprocess of aging, can render them more vulnerable\nthan others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Individual\nsensitivity may also be related to the integrity of cells or groups of cells\nthat control a particular function. A person who has experienced heart problems\nmight very well be predisposed to having glutamate receptors in the heart\nvulnerable to insult by glutamate. A person with asthma, is likely predisposed\nto having an asthma attack after consuming glutamate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reports from\nconsumers tell us that intensity or severity of reactions appear to be affected\nby alcohol ingestion and\/or exercise just prior to, or immediately following\nMSG ingestion, and some women report variations in their reactions at different\ntimes in their menstrual cycles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have questions or comments, we\u2019d love to hear from you. And if you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, we\u2019ll put them up on Facebook<\/a>. You can also reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter <\/a>@truthlabeling<\/p>\n