The experts speak on MSG and obesity: Olney, J.W. "Brain Lesions, Obesity, and Other Disturbances in Mice
Treated with Monosodium glutamate." Sci. 165(1969): 719-271. Humans
also lack a blood-brain barrier in the hypothalamus, even as adults.
It is for this reason that Dr. Olney and other neuroscientists are so
concerned
about the widespread and heavy use of excitotoxins, such as MSG, hydrolyzed
vegetable protein, and cysteine, as food additives. In his experiments
Dr. Olney found that high-dose exposure to MSG caused hypoplasia of the
adenohypophysis of the pituitary and of the gonads, in conjunction with
low hypothalamic, pituitary, and plasma levels of LH, growth hormone,
and prolactin. When doses below toxic levels for hypothalamic cells were
used,
he found a rapid elevation of LH and a depression of the pulsatile output
of growth hormone. In essence, these excitotoxins can cause severe pathophysiological
changes in the central endocrine control system. Many of these dysfunctional
changes can occur with subtoxic doses of MSG. One can speculate that
chronic exposure to these neurotoxins could cause significant alterations
in the
function of the hypothalamus, including its non-endocrine portions.
Early exposure in life to high doses of glutamate, or the other excitotoxins,
could theoretically produce a whole array of disorders much later in
life, such as obesity, impaired growth, endocrine problems, sleep difficulties,
emotional problems including episodic anger, and sexual psycho-pathology. The stress-induced abnormalities in blood-brain barrier permeability
suggest differing MSG effects dependent on existing states of relaxation
or stresses. The suggestive evidence for MSG-induced neuroendocrine effects
is substantial, coupled with the observation of increased obesity in
children. With this enormous consumption of foods laced with MSG additives, it
is no wonder that we have an obesity problem in this country, especially
when you combine the hypothalamic lesion caused by MSG to the high-fat
and -carbohydrate diets of young people. Of particular concern is the
suggestion that MSG ingested by pregnant women may actually cause this
lesion in children while they are still in the womb. This also means that, while pregnant, mothers of diabetic children also
consumed very large amounts of these excitotoxin-containing foods. Also,
many parents feed their babies table food from an early age—food
often laced with large amounts of MSG. In addition, large numbers of
babies are also fed formula, and many formulas are known to be high in
excitotoxins such as caseinate. I have already cited studies showing
that gross obesity is frequently linked to excessive MSG consumption
in test animals. Particularly disturbing is the later obesity after MSG exposure during
the neonatal and infant period even after only a short or limited exposure. With all of these endocrine malfunctions you would expect these mice
to develop abnormally, and they do. Consistently, the animals exposed
to MSG were found to be short, grossly obese, and had difficulty with
sexual reproduction. One can only wonder if the large number of people
having difficulty with obesity in the United States is related to early
exposure to food additive excitotoxins since this obesity is one of the
most consistent features of the syndrome. One characteristic of the obesity
induced by excitotoxins is that it doesn't appear to depend on food intake.
This could explain why some people cannot diet away their obesity. It
is ironic that so many people drink soft drinks sweetened with NutraSweet® when
aspartate can produce the exact same lesions as glutamate, resulting
in gross obesity. The actual extent of MSG induced obesity in the human
population is unknown. "Animal studies demonstrate link between MSG and obesity" The obesity effect of MSG in animals requires evaluation since unexplained
obesity is increasing in our population, along with hypertension and
diabetes. MSG-induced obesity in animals may carry long-term significance
for humans. Since his early observation, other studies have confirmed that MSG causes gross obesity in animals. At an international neuroscience meeting, Dr. Olney was asked if he thought the reason Americans were so obese was, in fact, due to their high consumption of MSG additives. The question was never answered, but since that conference in the 1970s, America has undergone this virtual epidemic of gross obesity, especially among its youth. Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 180 This MSG-induced obesity was characterized by a preference for carbohydrates
and an aversion for more nutritious foods, just as we are now witnessing
in our youth. Also, excess weight was extremely difficult to exercise
off or diet off in these experimental animals. Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance: NICOTINE for FOOD!
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