How excitotoxins in processed foods destroy our health!
Understand and know your foods everyone:
Do not consume a chemistry experiment and refuse these ingredients to be in good health:
There are many excitotoxins found in processed foods and these chemicals are not food products. They have been linked to brain cell death, infertility, issues with sexual development, aggressive behaviors, and hormonal disorders.
I have performed extensive research looking at science based studies and here are the dangerous excitotoxins to avoid.
***Credit given by me to Dr. Group for an amazing summary of this article in one place!
*MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)
In the salt form of glutamate, or glutamic acid, has been known to trigger headaches. Glutamate easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, stimulating cell receptors that triggers cell death.
While the body naturally produces glutamate when needed to trigger cell termination, flooding the body with dietary glutamate can seriously disrupt normal cellular function, especially in the brain. Avoid foods with MSG, but don’t think food is MSG-free just because you don’t see it in the ingredients list.
Here’s where MSG also appears under these certain names:
Natural flavors
Flavoring
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Autolyzed protein
Plant protein
Textured protein
Yeast extract
Nutritional yeast
Carrageenan
Anything with glutamate
*Aspartate
Aspartate, or aspartic acid, acts very similarly to glutamate.This non-essential amino acid triggers NMDA receptors in cells, another of the cellular receptors used to initiate cell death. Most humans receive aspartate through consuming aspartame, an artificial sweetener often hidden in many processed foods. It has been linked with serious neurological effects such as headaches, sleep disorders, and seizures.
3. Domoic Acid
Another non-essential amino acid, domoic acid occurs naturally in shellfish. Overconsumption has shown to lead to the development of epilepsy, especially in the elderly.If you’re a seafood eater, pick wild-caught varieties of fish like salmon, trout, and tuna. This way you are receiving your omega-3 fatty acids without the excitotoxins and pollutants common in shellfish and farm-raised seafood.
4. L-BOAA
Also known as ODAP, this protein is another excitotoxin that behaves in similar fashion as glutamate. It naturally occurs in the grass pea and similar plant species. Overexposure to grass pea and L-BOAA leads to neurolathyrism, a disorder that affects motor skills and movement and can lead to paralysis.
5. Cysteine
Industrially created by hydrolysis of human hair and poultry feathers, this excitotoxin is important for artificial flavor creation. It reacts with sugars in a process known as the Maillard reaction, resulting in meaty and savory flavors. High cysteine levels are associated with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
6. Casein
This protein compound occurs in cheese at naturally high levels. Twenty percent of casein is glutamic acid which makes for a tasty treat; however, it also increases glutamate overload. Casein is often used by food producers to improve flavor, although it is also frequently used to increase protein levels in fitness products.
Points to Remember
Excitotoxins such as MSG, aspartame, and cysteine have been linked to several adverse health effects, some of which may be irreversible. Some people have reported allergic reactions like hives, shortness of breath, and rashes. Others have reported the well-known
References:
1. Olney JW. Excitotoxins in foods. Neurotoxicology. 1994 Fall;15(3):535-44.
2. Scopp AL. MSG and hydrolyzed vegetable protein induced headache: review and case studies. Headache. 1991 Feb;31(2):107-10.
3. Chen PE1, Geballe MT, Stansfeld PJ, Johnston AR, Yuan H, Jacob AL, Snyder JP, Traynelis SF, Wyllie DJ. Structural features of the glutamate binding site in recombinant NR1/NR2A N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors determined by site-directed mutagenesis and molecular modeling. Mol Pharmacol. 2005 May;67(5):1470-84.
4. Humphries P1, Pretorius E, Naud H. Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;62(4):451-62.
5. Andermann F, Carpenter S, Zatorre RJ, Cashman NR. Temporal lobe epilepsy caused by domoic acid intoxication: evidence for glutamate receptor-mediated excitotoxicity in humans. Ann Neurol. 1995 Jan;37(1):123-6.
6. Knig G1, Hartmann J, Krause F, Deckert J, Heinsen H, Ransmayr G, Beckmann H, Riederer P. Regional differences in the interaction of the excitotoxins domoate and L-beta-oxalyl-amino-alanine with [3H]kainate binding sites in human hippocampus. Neurosci Lett. 1995 Mar 3;187(2):107-10.
7. Parsons RB1, Waring RH, Ramsden DB, Williams AC. In vitro effect of the cysteine metabolites homocysteic acid, homocysteine and cysteic acid upon human neuronal cell lines. Neurotoxicology. 1998 Aug-Oct;19(4-5):599-603.
