Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Health Risks of GM Foods: Summary and Debate

I would like to share an amazing summary of Documented Health Risks of GMOs.
Genetic Roulette  Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating

You can find free tools on their home page: www.responsibletechnology.org  

 The talking points are organized around the 65 main point summaries presented on the left side of the two-page spreads in Part 1 of Genetic Roulette. Each section linked below offers the opportunity for people to submit updates, corrections, challenges and responses. Before making a submittal, please review the full content in that section of the book.
Contents at a Glance:
Part 1: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods
Section 1: Evidence of reactions in animals and humans.
Section 2: Gene insertion disrupts the DNA and can create unpredictable health problems.
Section 3: The protein produced by the inserted gene may create problems.
Section 4: The foreign protein may be different than what is intended.
Section 5: Transfer of genes to gut bacteria, internal organs, or viruses.
Section 6: GM crops may increase environmental toxins and bioaccumulate toxins in the food chain.
Section 7: Other types of GM foods carry risks.
Section 8: Risks are greater for children and newborns.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

MSG... Excitotoxicity, yeah its as bad as it sounds.


MSG without a doubt, leaves me feeling like crap.


MSG, or Monosodium Glutamate is a salt of the amino acid - Glutamic Acid (glutamate).  A salt is the chemical name for a molecule held together by opposite charges.   Basically one (mono) sodium atom is "stuck" to the amino acid glutamate.


This reaction varies from person to person, and I suspect has something to do with Blood Brain Barrier Health as well as a Hormesis response.


Glutamate is an Amino Acid Neurotransmitter. It tells nerves to activate. It stimulates the Nervous System. Other Amino acids like Taurine and GABA balance that to tell the nerves to calm.


So the issue presents itself in the balancing of these Amino Acids. Keeping them in line with what is found in nature...


Heres the Problem. Theres a short list of Items readily available to Americans that doesnt match that Balance...


A significant quantity of Processed Foods are intentionally modified to free glutamic acid to achieve the same taste structure as MSG. Obviously I have strong opinions against Soy and Grains regardless(if you've read past posts)


  • Soy
  • Wheat
  • Barley
  • Corn
  • Meat(one of the  reasons processed Red meat is bad, yet Whole Grassfed Beef is still great!)
  • Milk
  • Fish
  • Soy Sauce
  • Wheat Gluten (hah!)
  • Cheese
Anything with Hydrolyzed Protein, Seasonings and Stocks etc.
Allegro Crop Spray - yes even your vegetables might be contaminated.
Many Vaccines use it as a preservative.
Cigarettes! (Ammonia converts internally)
Aspartame has the same effects! (Don't even drink DIET soda!!!)




How does it affect me?


Pancreas – glutamate stimulates the pancreas and may cause Type II diabetes, obesity, and insulin resistance.  In individuals with Type 1 diabetes, it may cause an excess of glutamate since 85% of those with Type 1 diabetes have antibodies which attack GAD - the enzyme responsible for converting glutamate into GABA.
By directly stimulating the pancreas to release insulin, which drops the blood sugar, MSG can be considered an "anti-appetite suppressant".  In other words, eating MSG makes you hungrier than you would have been, sooner than you would have been.

Brain – during periods of hypoglycemia where low blood glucose levels leave the brain with low defenses, or allergy response where the blood vessels become "leaky", MSG may cross the blood brain barrier and damage brain cells by excitatory neurotoxicity. By affecting the pancreas and creating a situation of hypoglycemia, MSG may bring down the brain’s barriers, carrying it’s own key, in a sense, to get to the brain.

Blood Pressure - may create taurine deficiency – calcium channels stay open – causing high blood pressure and counteracting calcium channel blocking medication.

Inflammation - The  immune response allows the blood vessels to become "leaky" so that the white blood cells can get to the site of the injury.  This flood of fluid leaving the blood vessels and entering the tissue is what we recognize as swelling. 

Leptin- leptin did not work on test animals that were obese due to MSG-induced obesity.  This suggests that perhaps the damage to the hypothalamus caused by MSG, caused the hypothalamus to  become resistant to the effect of leptin. *(go back and read my post on Leptin if you need to!)


Hidden Names!

MSGGelatinCalcium Caseinate
Monosodium glutamateHydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)Textured Protein
Monopotassium glutamateHydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)Yeast Extract
GlutamateAutolyzed Plant ProteinYeast food or nutrient
Glutamic AcidSodium CaseinateAutolyzed Yeast
Vegetable Protein ExtractSenomyx (wheat extract labeled as artificial flavor)

What can I do to counter MSG?
Id personally avoid them like the plague. Eating Whole Natural Foods will ensure that you're getting Glutamate in Balance with Cystene, Taurine, GABA, etc comparable to what is found in nature.
 Barring that, accidental or intentional ingestion, MSG Truth has a nice list:
http://www.msgtruth.org/remedies.htm



Further Reading


Dr Russell Blaylock is considered one of the foremost experts on Aspartame/MSG Excitotoxicity.

He wrote an excellent book: Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills
Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills

Be sure to visit MSGTruth.org and MSGMyth.com as well.