Beware of Exitotoxins
DATE OF PUBLICATION: JULY 2002 We
surely live in an exciting time in history. If you are not careful, the
poisons being put into your food will get you. If you manage to avoid
them, the medicinal drugs you are prescribed will do you in. In the
chemical age in which we live, the rule must be: Let the buyer
beware. Russell
L. Blaylock, M.D., a neurosurgeon at the University of Mississippi Medical
Center, has researched extensively into a little-known set of substances
called excitotoxins. What you don't know can kill
you, by inches if not faster. MSG
(monosodium glutamate), Aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal), hydrolyzed
vegetable protein, and cysteine are
all examples of excitotoxin amino acids. They are added to human foods
and drinks in order to enhance the flavor. But careful research on animals
reveals that they destroy brain cells. These
flavor enhancing chemicals are found naturally in very small amounts in
plants. But, anxious to get you to buy more of their products, the food
companies use man-made, highly concentrated forms of those chemicals.
Fearful that their competitors will sell more food than they do, every
(every) major food company uses them to heighten the flavor. The presence
of those chemicals in the food causes you to want to eat more of the
product than you normally would. Excitotoxins are especially added to
foods that have a bland taste or little flavor. But
when the same amount of these chemicals, that you ingest in a bottle of
Flavor Cola or a bowl of Nutty Crisps, is added to the rations of test
animals (including mice, cats, and chimpanzees), it produces brain damage.
The excitotoxins stimulate the neuron brain cells so vigorously, that
the cells die of exhaustion! This effect is especially seen in the
hypothalamus and temporal lobes which control behavior, emotions,
onset of puberty, sleep cycle, hormones, immunity, and a number of other
body functions. Short term memory and the ability to learn are also
affected. Several
factors determine how much damage occurs at a given meal: the amount
that is eaten and how frequently such foods are eaten. Some
people eat such food every day or at certain times day after day. Some
people drink no water, but derive all their fluids from soft drinks! Guess
what is in those soft drinks? Hypoglycemia also makes the brain nerves
very sensitive to these chemicals. Dr.
Blaylock recommends that those with a family history of
neurodegenerative diseases should make every effort to avoid foods
containing excitotoxins. These diseases include Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). They markedly decrease the blood brain
barrier, making a person more sensitive than normal to chronic exposure to
these dangerous chemicals and consequent brain damage. Now,
let us consider some doctored foods in which these substances are found: Beware of canned soup, fast foods, junk food, and food found in fast-food or Chinese restaurants. They will generally contain large amounts of MSG. A
meal of this so-called food can, in a child, raise the blood level
of excitotoxins six times, which, in primates, destroys brain cells! A
child's brain is four times more sensitive to damage by excitotoxins
than an adults brain. But the brain damage will not be evident
until the child is more mature. Is tasty junk food really worth the damage
it is going to bring to you? The
following food additives contain 30% to 60% MSG:
monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed protein,
hydrolyzed plant protein, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate, calcium
caseinate, yeast extract, textured protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed
oat flour, Accent. The
following food additives contain 12% to 40% MSG:
malt extract, malt flavoring, bouillon, broth, stock, flavoring, natural
flavoring, natural beef or chicken flavoring, seasoning, spices. The
following additives may contain MSG:
Carrageenan, enzymes, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, whey
protein concentrate, some types of soy milk.
vf A
legal battle which spanned nearly a decade, centered around a health claim
which the natural food industry wanted the FDA to authorize as acceptable
on supplement labels. Originally, four claims were requested: 1.
Consumption of antioxidant vitamins may reduce the risk of certain
cancers. 2.
Consumption of fiber may reduce the risk of colon cancer. 3.
Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart
disease. 4.
800 mcg. of folic acid in a dietary supplement is more effective in
reducing the risk of neural tube defects than a lower amount in common
food form. Each
claim was considered separately and the FDA rejected each one. A lawsuit
was filed on January 28, 1994, to require the FDA to authorize the folic
acid claim on the labels of folic acid supplements. One
study presented to the court showed that pregnant women who were given 800
mcg. of folic acid in multivitamin supplements experienced a 100%
reduction in neural tube defects, compared with a 40% to 80% reduction
resulting from a 400 mcg. dosage. According
to a recent survey, only 30% of women of childbearing age know that folic
acid reduces birth defects. By censoring this information about folic
acid, the FDA was condemning tens of thousands of babies to crippling and
irreversible birth defects. The
suit charged that the FDA was violating the Nutrition Labeling and
Cosmetic Act, passed by Congress on November 8, 1990, which prevented
dietary supplements and foods that make health claims from becoming
subject to the FDAs strict drug approval and drug labeling
requirements. The
FDA recently lost the case. An estimated 350,000 birth defects occurred in
America during the time the folic acid lawsuit was in progress. Brand name and
size of tablet/capsule / Consumer price for 100 tabs/caps / Cost
of generic active ingredient for 100 tabs/caps / Percent of markup Celebrex
100 mg
$130.27
$0.60
21,712% Claritin
10 mg $215.17
$0.71
30,306% Keflex
250 mg $157.39
$1.88
8,372% Libitor
20 mg $272.37
$5.80
4,696% Norvasc
10 mg
$188.29
$0.14
134,493% Paxil
20 mg
$220.27
$7.60
2,898% Prevacid
30 mg $344.77
$1.01
34,136% Prilosec
20 mg $360.97
$0.52
69,417% Prozac
20 mg $247.47
$0.11
224,973% Tenormin
50 mg
$104.47
$0.13
80,362% Vasotec
10 mg $102.37
$0.20
51,185% Xanax
1 mg
$136.79
$0.024
569,958% Zestril
20 mg
$89.89
$3.20
2,809% Zithromax
600 mg $1,482.19
$18.78
7,892% Zocor
40 mg
$350.27
$8.63
4,059% Zoloft 50 mg
$206.87
$1.75 11,821% |