The reason they decided to use the name excitotoxins is because the neurons in the brain get super excited when these particular chemicals reach them, causing those neurons to fire rapidly (imagine how fast an auctioneer can be and then fast forward them). They quickly reach exhaustion then die a few hours later. Pleasant, isn't it? To top it off, these excitotoxins have been shown to not only affect brain tissue but our retinas/optic nerves too (see research at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2930628/ ).
So what else does the neuroscience community think these excitotoxins do to our bodies besides ruin our eyesight and kill neurons? How about make us fatter (leading to obesity & obesity linked death), hormonal imbalances, give us migraines/headaches, heart palpitations, numb/tingling feelings in our extremities, facial pressure/tightness, chest pain, drowsiness, weakness -- hello? These chemicals mess up our nervous system that is, basically, in charge of EVERYTHING going on in our bodies! What don't they mess with?
There are a lot of people out there (FDA, people in denial, etc.) that say these chemicals are non-toxic and that they are perfectly safe because there haven't been any studies to prove them unsafe. To them I ask, "Really? So why is it that I was able to find plenty of research out there showing the type of cell damage these neurotoxins can wreak?" Why are there SO many neuroscientists saying that these additives are dangerous -- they certainly aren't the ones making money off of speaking up against these chemicals, if you know what I mean. Want to take a look at a few research cases? Here are some but you can do your own search on Google Scholar too:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.410190202/abstract
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/164/3880/719.short
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006899309027528
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996111001938
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006344
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1601-183X.2008.00395.x/full#b2
So why is it that these horrible additives are still being used today from baby food to just about everything else that comes prepared? Big business? Big prepackaged food companies make money off of making their foods taste so good that they become an addiction (for some people -- perfect example: fast food). I just went onto Gerber's website and randomly checked some of their foods for the signature markings of these excitotoxins and I have to say that most of their products seem all right. Unfortunately, some of their products are not. For example, their GRADUATES® FRUIT SPLASHERS® Beverage – Grape...look in the nutritional information and you will find the words "natural flavor" in seventh place. "Natural flavor"? If they're already adding white grape juice and apple juice concentrates, what's this "natural flavor" they've decided to toss into the mix? I'll assume it's a flavor enhancer, aka excitotoxin. But worse yet? Check out their GERBER® GOOD START® Soy Formula – Concentrated Liquid...listed as ingredient #4 position is ENZYMATICALLY HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE. Wait a minute...but isn't soy good? Yes but hydrolyzed soy protein is not-so-good. Check this site out http://www.soyinfo.com/soydefs.shtml#hsp. Not only is this a "flavor enhancer" but it's also derived from a genetically-manipulated soy! This is being given to babies for goodness sakes! No wonder there is such a rise in neural-type diseases in the past couple of generations!
Let's not just pick on Gerber, how about that soup can in your pantry made by Campbell's? Remember mom (or grandma) fixing you a bowl of old-fashioned Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup? Well, guess what's in it? Another flavor enhancer called DISODIUM GUANYLATE on top of containing HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) -- good job on the double whammy Campbell's! And this was their "Healthy Request" product too! I mentioned fast food a second ago, right? Take a look at Jack-in-the-Box's nutritional ingredient document here. Specifically, look at their "Beef Regular Taco" - do you see how many flavor enhancers are in that thing?!? It's making my head hurt just reading through it all: Hydrolyzed (Corn, Soy, Wheat) Proteins, Monosodium Glutamate (they don't even bother hiding it), Natural Flavors, and Disodium Guanylate! And, by-the-way, let's just throw in some Succinic Acid that is something chiefly used in the manufacturing of lacquers and dyes! Really, Jack?? Looked at Carls Jr. too - they don't seem to be flavor enhancer crazy, not like their counterparts but they do still use them intermittently. You can check their ingredients list here. Also, McDonald's isn't safe from my scrutiny this evening either. They have probably the most interesting hidden flavor enhancer yet - autolyzed yeast extract. Check their ingredients list here but make sure to scroll down because in the beginning of the document, there isn't much to the list.
It just seems so like we are all going to need a chemistry degree in order to just keep up with what's being put into our food, doesn't it? Well, I say moderation is the key. If we try to cook most of our meals from scratch, there wouldn't as big an issue with the added flavor enhancers. But the problem is, we are constantly on the run and the quicker you can get food on the table, the better. There is a limit at where these chemicals are safe (well, as safe as feeding yourself small amounts of arsenic every so often) but we, as a society, are over-eating them with all the prepared, pre-packaged foods then let's thrown in how many times we eat out...we are exceeding the so-called "safe amounts". Moderation is indeed the key or a complete over-haul of the prepackaged food industry and I'm pretty sure we won't really see the industry change any time soon. Consumers need to become more aware of how to really read ingredient labels (without going cross-eyed) and use their common sense. General rule of thumb for me? If there are more than 5 ingredients that sound like a chemist lab project, I try not to buy eat and/or eat it. But, in case you want a summarized, short list of what to look for to avoid flavor enhancers, here's my list:
-monosodium glutamate (basically, anything ending with "ate" you should be skeptical of)
-autolyzed yeast extract
-aspartame
-glutamic acid
-natural flavor
-anything with "glutamate" at the end
-anything with "guanylate"
-anything with "inosinate"
-anything "hydrolized"
If you want to learn more, there's a lot out there but here's what I recommend:
- Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by retired neurosurgeon, Russell L. Blaylock
- Food Additives: A Shopper's Guide to What's Safe and What's Not by Dr. Christine Farlow, DC
- The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroy Our Brains and Harming Our Children by Carol Simontacchi
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor_enhancer
- Online article: Sudden Cardiac Death and Food Excitotoxin Additives
- Truth in Labeling Organization
- http://www.ehow.com/about_5162033_autolyzed-yeast-extract-gluten.html
- http://www.soyinfo.com/soydefs.shtml#hsp
Well, hopefully I've given someone something to think about. I personally get major migraines from MSG but other flavor enhancers give me the numb, tingly feeling in my hands and feet - not a pleasant sensation. They are working on linking these chemicals to a lot of neural diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Autism, etc. - let's hope that one day people will realize that if their food tastes like crap, they should leave the food industry to take up something else instead of putting our health in danger with their flavor enhancers.
If you cook with flavor enhancers, then you obviously don't know how to cook or your taste buds are shot! Sorry if that insults anyone but I get the "Well, I cook with Accent all the time and I'm fine" spiel but the music changes when they're asked if they suffer from migraines repeatedly. When it comes to food, people are very closed-minded and loyal - don't know why that is, exactly but it's almost as taboo as discussing politics or religion. It seems, sometimes, that eating healthier is like saying "I'm going to break the law" to some people and they try to go to extremes to "convince" you to get back on the right track...you know, the one they follow. I say do what makes you feel good, makes you healthy, and makes you run circles around those who choose to stay in their sluggish ruts!
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