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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: THE TOXICITY/SAFETY OF PROCESSED FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG): Every company interested in promoting its product should attempt to convince its clients that its product is worth buying. However, "selective" collection and reporting of research data would be inappropriate. "Selective" collection and reporting of research data, including suppression of information contrary to that which is espoused by the industry in question, is the subject of this paper. Using promotion of the flavor-enhancing ingredient called monosodium glutamate, and its active component (variously referred to as processed free glutamic acid or MSG) as a case study, this paper presents the case against the safety of MSG and looks at the work of the defenders of the safety of MSG. The structure of the industry organization; an overview of their research; suppression of information; dissemination of misinformation; dirty tricks; and the special role of agencies of the United States government will be considered. Keywords: accountability, deception, glutamic acid, glutamate, monosodium glutamate, MSG, suppression of information Accountability in Research (1999) Vol 6, pp. 259-310. Contents Introduction The Case Against the Safety of Processed Free Glutamic Acid (MSG) Defenders of the Safety of MSG Summary and Conclusions Table 1 Appendices References Introduction Some scientists carry out well-designed and properly executed research; but when data do not come out as "needed," the numbers are changed. Others don't conduct studies at all; but submit fabricated details and results of their choosing to peers for publication. When exposed, they may be punished with fines and imprisonment, and may be noted by the press. In addition, those who use money of the United States government are subject to investigation by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity. Researchers who deceive by falsifying data seem to be few, even if growing in number; (Slind-Flor, 1993) and if suspected of devious practices, can be fairly easily challenged. There seem to be others, however, who use more subtle methods to influence public opinion--with great success. Although more difficult to execute than simple fabrication of data, any question of propriety can be passed off as an error of judgement or an honest mistake; and penalties for getting caught are non-existent or less severe. This paper will describe how easily truth can be hidden; and how seemingly isolated incidents actually can be badly flawed research, direct suppression of information, and dissemination of biased information orchestrated by one group or industry. Using the safety/toxicity of MSG as the subject, I will demonstrate how the glutamate industry has selectively collected and reported research data in a way that presents glutamate in a favorable fashion. In the following, the case against the safety of processed free glutamic acid (MSG) will be presented first, with particular attention given to the nature of the chemical whose safety/toxicity is being disputed; the first evidence of its toxicity; confirmation of toxicity; and my personal involvement. The second section will focus on the defenders of the safety of MSG: 1) the structure of their organization -- the International Glutamate Technical Committee (IGTC); The Glutamate Association; researchers; agents; people and organizations influenced by them; 2) an overview of their research -- animal research; umami; the epidemiologic study; and double-blind studies; 3) suppression of information; 4) dissemination of misinformation; 5) dirty tricks; and 6) the special role of agencies of the United States government. The Case Against the Safety of Processed Free Glutamic Acid (MSG) The Chinese have used certain seaweeds to enhance the flavor of food for some 2,000 years. In 1908, the flavor-enhancing agent was identified as glutamic acid (Kizer, Nemeroff, and Youngblood, 1978). Shortly thereafter, methods for extracting glutamic acid from seaweed were developed; the Ajinomoto Company was established in Japan; and their flavor-enhancing product, monosodium glutamate, became commercially available. In 1968, the safety of MSG was challenged. The chemical in question: processed free glutamic acid The glutamic acid in the initial Ajinomoto product was produced by extraction. Today, the glutamic acid component of the food additive, monosodium glutamate, is generally made by a method referred to as microbial fermentation. In this method, bacteria are grown aerobically in a liquid nutrient medium. The bacteria have the ability to excrete glutamic acid they synthesize outside of their cell membrane into the liquid nutrient medium in which they are grown. The glutamic acid is then separated from the fermentation broth by filtration, concentration, acidification, and crystallization, and converted to its monosodium salt (Leung and Foster, 1996). The food additive, monosodium glutamate, was first used in the United States in any quantity in the late 1940s. By the 1960s, however, Accent, the leading brand of monosodium glutamate, had become a household word. Simultaneously, other hydrolyzed protein products such as autolyzed yeast, sodium caseinate, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein gained in popularity. Every hydrolyzed protein product, regardless of the name given to it on a label, contains MSG. Monosodium glutamate is the name of a particular flavor-enhancing ingredient. When used in this paper, the words "monosodium glutamate" refer to that flavor-enhancing ingredient. MSG is not the name of an ingredient. In fact, the FDA would consider use of the term MSG on a label, to represent an ingredient, as misbranding. While industry often uses the term MSG as a shorthand for the ingredient monosodium glutamate, consumers use MSG as shorthand for the processed free glutamic acid in ingredients that cause adverse reactions. According to the FDA (1995) "While technically MSG is only one of several forms of free glutamate used in foods, consumers frequently use the term MSG to mean all free glutamate." Further discussion of processed free glutamic acid will be found in Appendix A. The first evidence of toxicity The first published report of a reaction to monosodium glutamate appeared in 1968 when Robert Ho Man Kwok, M.D., who had emigrated from China, reported that although he never had the problem in China, about 20 minutes into a meal at certain Chinese restaurants, he suffered numbness, tingling, and tightness of the chest that lasted for approximately 2 hours (Kwok, 1968). The New England Journal of Medicine gave Kwok's letter the title, "Chinese-Restaurant Syndrome." Subsequently, readers responded, suggesting that the culprit was monosodium glutamate. The following year, John W. Olney, M.D. reported that laboratory animals suffered brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders after being exposed to monosodium glutamate (Olney, 1969). Scientists studying retinal degeneration in mice treated with free glutamic acid had noted that these mice became grotesquely obese. Olney, who speculated that the obesity might be a sign of damage to the hypothalamus (the area of the brain that regulates a number of endocrine functions, including weight control), found that infant laboratory animals given free glutamic acid suffered brain damage immediately, and assorted neuroendocrine disorders later in life. Pharmaceutical grade L-glutamic acid was often used to produce these disorders until neuroscientists observed that monosodium glutamate, an inexpensive food additive, could be substituted for laboratory-grade free glutamic acid in these studies and produce the same effects. Confirmation of toxicity In the years that followed, neuroscientists replicated the work of Olney, and Olney spoke out repeatedly about the toxic potential of glutamic acid freed from protein prior to ingestion. In 1972, for example, Olney testified before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs that ingestion of MSG places humans at risk, with the greatest risk being for the very young; and that a National Academy of Science panel organized to determine whether MSG ought to be banned from baby food had produced an "industry arranged whitewash" by a group of scientists with almost no experience in neuropathology (Gillette, 1972). In the early 1970s, manufacturers of baby food voluntarily removed the monosodium glutamate from their products, but replaced the monosodium glutamate with MSG-containing ingredients such as autolyzed yeast and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. In the late 1970s, manufacturers voluntarily removed all obvious MSG-containing ingredients from baby food. Today scientists know that MSG kills brain cells and causes neuroendocrine disorders in laboratory animals; and that it causes adverse reactions in humans. Scientists know that the blood brain barrier, once thought to prevent glutamate that comes from exogenous sources (eating included) from entering the brain, is not fully developed until puberty; is easily damaged by such conditions as high fever, a blow to the head, and the normal course of aging; and, in the area of the circumventricular organs, is leaky at best at any stage of life. Scientists know that a diverse number of disease conditions such as ALS, Alzheimer's disease, seizures, and stroke are associated with the glutamate cascade (Blaylock, 1994). Scientists also understand that MSG is simply processed free glutamic acid, or processed free glutamic acid combined with sodium (depending on how it is defined), and that glutamic acid is a neurotransmitter that causes nerves to fire; and when present in excess quantities, causes nerves to fire until they die. Scientists understand that in addition to the L-glutamic acid found in unprocessed, unfermented, unadulterated free glutamic acid, processed free glutamic acid invariably contains D-glutamic acid and brings with it pyroglutamic acid and other contaminants--some of which, depending on procedures used for processing and the protein source, are carcinogenic. Personal involvement In 1988, George R. Schwartz, M.D., published a book entitled, In Bad Taste: The MSG Syndrome (Schwartz, 1988). Prior to its publication, few consumers realized that the adverse reactions they suffered following ingestion of monosodium glutamate were caused by its free glutamic acid component; or that there was processed free glutamic acid in all hydrolyzed protein products. It was only after reading Schwartz' book that I realized that the Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms that were being experienced by Jack Samuels, my husband, disappeared when processed free glutamic acid was eliminated from his diet. In 1989, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) heard public testimony relevant to the National Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA). In that year, J. Samuels, Schwartz, and others testified before the NLEA panel to the toxic potential of MSG and the need to identify MSG whenever present in processed food. Subsequently, J. Samuels and Schwartz flew to Washington for an in-depth conference with FDA officials. Following review of Schwartz' book, I attempted to determine what foods I could prepare for my husband without ill-effect. Failing to find any unifying concept by which I could identify potentially toxic ingredients, I turned to the Medline literature where I found two sorts of studies: 1) those sponsored by the glutamate industry, which invariably concluded that MSG is safe, and 2) those done by independent neuroscientists and other researchers who found that MSG kills brain cells, causes neuroendocrine disorders, learning disabilities, and a variety of disorders such as tachycardia and seizures. Although an investment banker in 1989, I am an experimental psychologist by training, with expertise in learning, test construction, research design, methodology, and statistics, and a doctorate degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. Inspired by what had become my husband's life-threatening sensitivity to MSG, my husband and I reviewed the medical literature, read widely in the literature of food science and technology, researched the history of the continued FDA approval of MSG as generally recognized as safe (GRAS), testified before the FDA and its agents, and monitored the activities of the FDA. I have been a member of the consumer group NOMSG since 1989, and am a director of, and financial contributor to, the Truth in Labeling Campaign, both nonprofit corporations whose work benefits the public.
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Yes, MSG does in fact cause brain damage and is cumulative. It is used in labs, injected into rats to cause them to gain weight so they can test their diet drugs. Then when the trials are complete they inject a greater dose to kill the test rats. Sounds like a wonderful food additive huh?
MSG is poison to me. If I eat food that has it, I get very ill. Migraine, nausea, blood pressure goes up. I know somebody that goes crazy, screaming at people, cussing and then sleeps like a log for hours. And barely remembers what happened. Our food is killing us, I beleive all the "unexplained" cancers are a direct effect of the chemicals they put in our food. I also beleive that children are maturing sooner than ever cause of the growth hormones in chickens,and such. Little girls starting their periods at 8 or 9 that's riduculous.
Very true. This may sound hard to believe but it actually happened. My brother-in-law was having the same symptoms such as the migraines,nausea and HBP. His doctor asked him what his diet consisted of and linked his illness to MSG poisoning. There are some doctors who 'get it.' It was so bad that he admitted him the the hopital for several days just to detoxify the MSG. That was about 18 years ago and he won't go near anything with MSG. His health has returned too. The problem with avoiding MSG is that they disguise it with many different names and they keep changing them to confuse the public.
That is so true. Most of my encounters have been with restaurant food or take out. Now I always ask if MSG is used before I order. Another thing I forgot to mention along with all the other malidays, I aslo have a very strange smell that haunts me for several hours, the first time it happened I went around the house opening all the windows and was on a MAD search trying to find the source. My family thought I was bonified crazy. I was at that time. MSG induced crazy.
Yep! The first time I ate Papa Johns Pizza I was sick for two days. The onset of a terrific migraine took place about 30 minutes after I was done eating it.I suspected a heavy dose of MSG and/or nitrates. I went to the Papa John's website and they claim 'no added MSG.' It could be true...maybe they don't 'add it' when they make pizzas but that doesn't mean it's not already in the basic ingredients. I'll never eat it again.
That is the real problem. Even the restaurants probably don't even know it's there. MO is that they need to inquire if MSG is used. I wish I could afford to but all my food at my local health food store that sells beef and chicken that is raised with out chemicals.
I have a friend who has a severe allergy to MSG, like you. She unknowingly ingested some recently and was nearly critically ill from it.
I have a friend who has a severe allergy to MSG, like you. She unknowingly ingested some recently and was nearly critically ill from it. That's the problem I see also. So I ordered a book from a woman who did a lot of research into this and she has a cook book. http://www.msgmyth.com/ Based on the research, you don't have to be allergic to it for it to be bad for you. Those with allergies just notice the effects much more dramatically. You owe it to yourself to study this via the web. If you check it out thoroughly, I can almost guarantee you will try to remove it from your diet also.
As I said in an earlier post,my brother-in-law had to get detoxed because of it. He's a helluva healthier now. He won't eat anything unless it's organic but then he can afford it..lol I do my best to avoid it. Snack foods are loaded with it.
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