The new evil (again) - MSG

MTGirl
MTGirl Posts: 1,490 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
This article is going around - got it in an e-mail. Anybody seen it or have any comments?? I think it is rather alarmist myself, but I tend toward the conservative when it comes to this kind of stuff - like I automatically think "oh, BS". Just wondering if anyone had any comments about it. Thanks :happy:

MSG – A Slow
Poison

Some of us have known for a long time that MSG is not
'good' for us because of reactions we have from ingesting it.
Makes you wonder about the incredible increase in dementia
(all kinds) and cancer, as well as other
afflictions.


The food additive MSG
(Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides
behind 25 or more names, such as Natural Flavoring.' MSG is even in
your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and Starbucks coffee
shops!


I wondered if there could be an
actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a
friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the
University of Waterloo in Ontario , Canada , and spent years
working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while
going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called
The Slow Poisoning of America ..


In hundreds of studies around the
world, scientists were creating
obese mice and rats to use in
diet or diabetes test studies. No
strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to
create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by
injecting them with MSG when they are first
born..


The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas
creates, causing rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese.
They even have a name for the fat rodents they create:
'MSG-Treated Rats.'


When I heard this, I was
shocked. I went into my kitchen and checked the cupboards and
the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the
Campbell 's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays
flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty
Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen
prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the 'healthy
low-fat' ones.


The items that didn't have MSG
marked on the product label had
something called 'Hydrolyzed
Vegetable Protein,' which is just another
name for Monosodium
Glutamate.


It was shocking to see just how
many of the foods we feed our
children everyday are filled with
this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different names in order
to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they don't catch
on. (Other names for MSG are 'Accent, 'Aginomoto,' 'Natural
Meat Tenderizer,' etc.)


But it didn't stop
there.


When our family went out to
eat, we started asking the restaurants what menu items
contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they
didn't use MSG.


But when we ask for the
ingredient list, which they grudgingly
provided, sure enough, MSG
and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were
everywhere.


Burger King, McDonald's,
Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant – even the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's,
Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSG in abundance.
Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender:
MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing, and gravy. No
wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice
was MSG!


So why is MSG in so many of the
foods we eat? Is it a preservative, or a
vitamin?


Not according to my friend John
Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoning of America , he said that
MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human
body.


Even the propaganda website
sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG
explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat
more.


A study of the elderly showed
that older people eat more of the foods that it is added to.
The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating more is a
benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of
us?


'Betcha can't eat [just] one,'
takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned! And we
wonder why the nation is overweight!


MSG manufacturers themselves
admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes
people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more
of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.


Not only is MSG scientifically
proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance
Since its introduction into the American food supply
fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and
larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks, and fast
foods we are tempted to eat everyday.


The FDA has set no limits on
how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's
safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe
when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like
these:


'The monosodium glutamate (MSG)
obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in
obesity.' Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT ,
Ribeiro IA. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol..
2002.


'Adrenalectomy abolishes the
food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal
and monosodium glutamate-obese rats.' Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM,
Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug.


'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate
treatment in
spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal
model of multiple risk factors.' Iwase M, Yamamoto M,
Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima. Hypertens Res.
1998 Mar.


'Hypothalamic lesion induced by
injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent
development of obesity.' Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp
Neurol. 1978 Oct.


No, the date of that last study
was not a typo; it was published in 1978. Both the 'medical
research community' and 'food manufacturers' have known about the
side effects of MSG for decades.


Many more of the studies
mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to diabetes,
migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even
Alzheimer's.


So what can we do to stop the food
manufactures from dumping this fattening and addictive MSG
into our food supply and causing the obesity epidemic we now
see?


Several months ago, John Erb
took his book and his concerns to one of the highest government
health officials in Canada .. While he was sitting in the government office, the
official told him,
'Sure, I know how bad
MSG is. I wouldn't touch the stuff.' But this top level
govern- ment official refuses to tell the public what he
knows.


The big media doesn't want to
tell the public either, fearing issues
with their
advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food
industry
may hurt their profit margin. The food producers
and restaurants have
been addicting us to their products for
years, and now we are paying
the price for it. Our
children should not be cursed with obesity caused
by an addictive
food additive.


But what can I do about it? I'm
just one voice! What can I do to
stop the poisoning of our
children, while our governments are insuring
financial protection
for the industry that is poisoning us?


This message is going out to
everyone I know in an attempt to tell
you the truth that the
corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell
you.


The best way you can help to
save yourself and your children from
this drug-induced
epidemic is to forward this article to everyone.
With any luck,
it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the
legislation
protecting those who
are poisoning us.


The food industry learned a lot
from the tobacco industry. Imagine if
big tobacco had a bill like
this in place before someone blew the whistle
on
nicotine?


If you are one of the few who
can still believe that MSG is good for
us and you don't
believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go
to the
National Library of Medicine at www..pubmed.com Type in the


words 'MSG Obese' and read a
few of the 115 medical studies that appear.


We the public do not want to be
rats in one giant experiment, and we
do not approve of food that
makes us into a nation of obese, lethargic,
addicted
sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while waiting
for
the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced
amputation, blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening
disorders.


With your help we can put an
end to this poison. Do your part in
sending this message
out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by distribution of
this
printout to your friends all over the world and stop
this 'Slow
Poisoning of Mankind' by the packaged food
industry.



--
James K Handy DC
949-252-1228
DrHandy.com

Replies

  • MTGirl
    MTGirl Posts: 1,490 Member
    This article is going around - got it in an e-mail. Anybody seen it or have any comments?? I think it is rather alarmist myself, but I tend toward the conservative when it comes to this kind of stuff - like I automatically think "oh, BS". Just wondering if anyone had any comments about it. Thanks :happy:

    MSG – A Slow
    Poison

    Some of us have known for a long time that MSG is not
    'good' for us because of reactions we have from ingesting it.
    Makes you wonder about the incredible increase in dementia
    (all kinds) and cancer, as well as other
    afflictions.


    The food additive MSG
    (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides
    behind 25 or more names, such as Natural Flavoring.' MSG is even in
    your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and Starbucks coffee
    shops!


    I wondered if there could be an
    actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a
    friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the
    University of Waterloo in Ontario , Canada , and spent years
    working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while
    going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called
    The Slow Poisoning of America ..


    In hundreds of studies around the
    world, scientists were creating
    obese mice and rats to use in
    diet or diabetes test studies. No
    strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to
    create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by
    injecting them with MSG when they are first
    born..


    The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas
    creates, causing rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese.
    They even have a name for the fat rodents they create:
    'MSG-Treated Rats.'


    When I heard this, I was
    shocked. I went into my kitchen and checked the cupboards and
    the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the
    Campbell 's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays
    flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty
    Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen
    prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the 'healthy
    low-fat' ones.


    The items that didn't have MSG
    marked on the product label had
    something called 'Hydrolyzed
    Vegetable Protein,' which is just another
    name for Monosodium
    Glutamate.


    It was shocking to see just how
    many of the foods we feed our
    children everyday are filled with
    this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different names in order
    to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they don't catch
    on. (Other names for MSG are 'Accent, 'Aginomoto,' 'Natural
    Meat Tenderizer,' etc.)


    But it didn't stop
    there.


    When our family went out to
    eat, we started asking the restaurants what menu items
    contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they
    didn't use MSG.


    But when we ask for the
    ingredient list, which they grudgingly
    provided, sure enough, MSG
    and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were
    everywhere.


    Burger King, McDonald's,
    Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant – even the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's,
    Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSG in abundance.
    Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender:
    MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing, and gravy. No
    wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice
    was MSG!


    So why is MSG in so many of the
    foods we eat? Is it a preservative, or a
    vitamin?


    Not according to my friend John
    Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoning of America , he said that
    MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human
    body.


    Even the propaganda website
    sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG
    explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat
    more.


    A study of the elderly showed
    that older people eat more of the foods that it is added to.
    The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating more is a
    benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of
    us?


    'Betcha can't eat [just] one,'
    takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned! And we
    wonder why the nation is overweight!


    MSG manufacturers themselves
    admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes
    people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more
    of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.


    Not only is MSG scientifically
    proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance
    Since its introduction into the American food supply
    fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and
    larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks, and fast
    foods we are tempted to eat everyday.


    The FDA has set no limits on
    how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's
    safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe
    when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like
    these:


    'The monosodium glutamate (MSG)
    obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in
    obesity.' Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT ,
    Ribeiro IA. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol..
    2002.


    'Adrenalectomy abolishes the
    food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal
    and monosodium glutamate-obese rats.' Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM,
    Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug.


    'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate
    treatment in
    spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal
    model of multiple risk factors.' Iwase M, Yamamoto M,
    Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima. Hypertens Res.
    1998 Mar.


    'Hypothalamic lesion induced by
    injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent
    development of obesity.' Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp
    Neurol. 1978 Oct.


    No, the date of that last study
    was not a typo; it was published in 1978. Both the 'medical
    research community' and 'food manufacturers' have known about the
    side effects of MSG for decades.


    Many more of the studies
    mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to diabetes,
    migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even
    Alzheimer's.


    So what can we do to stop the food
    manufactures from dumping this fattening and addictive MSG
    into our food supply and causing the obesity epidemic we now
    see?


    Several months ago, John Erb
    took his book and his concerns to one of the highest government
    health officials in Canada .. While he was sitting in the government office, the
    official told him,
    'Sure, I know how bad
    MSG is. I wouldn't touch the stuff.' But this top level
    govern- ment official refuses to tell the public what he
    knows.


    The big media doesn't want to
    tell the public either, fearing issues
    with their
    advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food
    industry
    may hurt their profit margin. The food producers
    and restaurants have
    been addicting us to their products for
    years, and now we are paying
    the price for it. Our
    children should not be cursed with obesity caused
    by an addictive
    food additive.


    But what can I do about it? I'm
    just one voice! What can I do to
    stop the poisoning of our
    children, while our governments are insuring
    financial protection
    for the industry that is poisoning us?


    This message is going out to
    everyone I know in an attempt to tell
    you the truth that the
    corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell
    you.


    The best way you can help to
    save yourself and your children from
    this drug-induced
    epidemic is to forward this article to everyone.
    With any luck,
    it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the
    legislation
    protecting those who
    are poisoning us.


    The food industry learned a lot
    from the tobacco industry. Imagine if
    big tobacco had a bill like
    this in place before someone blew the whistle
    on
    nicotine?


    If you are one of the few who
    can still believe that MSG is good for
    us and you don't
    believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go
    to the
    National Library of Medicine at www..pubmed.com Type in the


    words 'MSG Obese' and read a
    few of the 115 medical studies that appear.


    We the public do not want to be
    rats in one giant experiment, and we
    do not approve of food that
    makes us into a nation of obese, lethargic,
    addicted
    sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while waiting
    for
    the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced
    amputation, blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening
    disorders.


    With your help we can put an
    end to this poison. Do your part in
    sending this message
    out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by distribution of
    this
    printout to your friends all over the world and stop
    this 'Slow
    Poisoning of Mankind' by the packaged food
    industry.



    --
    James K Handy DC
    949-252-1228
    DrHandy.com
  • sara1027
    sara1027 Posts: 59
    Thanks good article
  • zoey1912
    zoey1912 Posts: 18
    Thank for posting this. I am completely aware of MSG and its evils..it's in almost all of the processed foods, which I have eliminated the best I can. I just can't believe how MSG is hidden by so many different names. I feel it should be illegal. We are being fooled and arn't told the whole truth. But then the thing with eating non processed foods is you have to wonder what they are being sprayed with..unless you buy organic if it is even organic...I've learned a lot from my nutrition degree and elsewhere. I believe the food industry in this country is corrupt and the policy makers know exactly what's going on. Not to sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but MSG is only one of the many things consumers need to be aware of.
  • zoey1912
    zoey1912 Posts: 18
    Thank for posting this. I am completely aware of MSG and its evils..it's in almost all of the processed foods, which I have eliminated the best I can. I just can't believe how MSG is hidden by so many different names. I feel it should be illegal. We are being fooled and arn't told the whole truth. But then the thing with eating non processed foods is you have to wonder what they are being sprayed with..unless you buy organic if it is even organic...I've learned a lot from my nutrition degree and elsewhere. I believe the food industry in this country is corrupt and the policy makers know exactly what's going on. Not to sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but MSG is only one of the many things consumers need to be aware of.
  • jsmccloy
    jsmccloy Posts: 59 Member
    I'm with you on the "Oh, BS" front. And, after a little Googling, found the following:
    Tim Horton's does not put MSG (or nicotine, btw) in its coffee. (from http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/timhortons.asp)
    The FDA requires that foods with MSG added to it, it must be identified as "monosodium glutamate" in the label's ingredient list. (from http://www.foodsafety.gov/~lrd/msg.html). So it cannot go by names such as 'Accent, 'Aginomoto,' 'Natural Meat Tenderizer,' etc.
    That FDA website describes the findings of a panel that analyzed the findings of "all available scientific literature" on MSG. The report that the panel submitted to the FDA concluded that:
    No evidence exists to suggest that dietary MSG or glutamate contributes to Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, AIDS dementia complex, or any other long-term or chronic diseases.
    No evidence exists to suggest that dietary MSG causes brain lesions or damages nerve cells in humans.
    There is no scientific evidence that the levels of glutamate in hydrolyzed proteins causes adverse effects or that other manufactured glutamate has effects different from glutamate normally found in foods.

    However, it also found that some people are sensitive to MSG, and after ingesting large amounts of MSG (more than 6 times what would be in a typical serving of MSG-treated food) can have a number of temporary symptoms such as:
    burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest
    numbness in the back of the neck, radiating to the arms and back
    tingling, warmth and weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms
    facial pressure or tightness
    chest pain
    headache
    nausea
    rapid heartbeat
    bronchospasm (difficulty breathing) in MSG-intolerant people with asthma
    drowsiness
    weakness.

    Not to sounds like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but I believe the organic food industry in this country is corrupt and the fearmongers know exactly what's going on. :tongue:
  • MisoSoup79
    MisoSoup79 Posts: 517
    Um... yeah... a little exaggerated in my opinion.

    I agree with one person who mentioned that some individuals may be sensitive to MSG. And for those individuals, they should stay away from it... just like those of us who are lactose intolerant or who have food allergies...

    Asian countries have used MSG in their diets for years. I read an article some time ago that MSG may be considered a 5th "taste" as it doesn't fall into our normal 4 categories of sweet, salty, bitter, and sour... MSG is considered "savory." Whether it is a 5th taste or not... I'm not particularly worried about it. I'm not sensitive to it.

    I just think it falls into the category of common sense.... If it makes you feel crappy, don't eat it. But plenty of people can eat it without problems... I can't drink milk... it makes me feel crappy. Few cultures out there drink cows milk - most are intolerant. Just because more than half of the world is intolerant, it's not labeled as a poison, is it?
  • MTGirl
    MTGirl Posts: 1,490 Member

    Not to sounds like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but I believe the organic food industry in this country is corrupt and the fearmongers know exactly what's going on. :tongue:


    That thought has crossed my mind more than a few times!! Just how expensive can we make something if we call it "organic"? :laugh:
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    Well, all I know is that when I eat too much MSG I get a migraine. I figured out the trigger a couple yrs ago. That alone is worth it to me to watch out for it. My Mom is the same way. Even at Chinese restaurants where they say no MSG, I always end up w/ a migraine the next day. It's in soooo many products, kind of like high fructose corn syrup. A *clean*, more natural diet has helped me a lot!
  • kel9680
    kel9680 Posts: 173 Member
    Well, all I know is that when I eat too much MSG I get a migraine. I figured out the trigger a couple yrs ago. That alone is worth it to me to watch out for it. My Mom is the same way. Even at Chinese restaurants where they say no MSG, I always end up w/ a migraine the next day. It's in soooo many products, kind of like high fructose corn syrup. A *clean*, more natural diet has helped me a lot!

    yep me too, if I eat things with MSG i will get a headache from them, i noticed it years ago, I would get a headache everytime I ate doritos, I used to love them, but once I realized they were causing my headaches, I try to stay away from things with MSG in them, and if I do get a headache after eating something, I can normally look back at the label and it will usually say theres MSG.
  • Blossom01
    Blossom01 Posts: 658
    huh: I NEED TO GO CHECK MY FOOD LABELS:frown:
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    yep me too, if I eat things with MSG i will get a headache from them, i noticed it years ago, I would get a headache everytime I ate doritos, I used to love them, but once I realized they were causing my headaches, I try to stay away from things with MSG in them, and if I do get a headache after eating something, I can normally look back at the label and it will usually say theres MSG.

    Good to know I'm not the only one! Yep, MSG is in a lot of chips (another good reason for me not to eat them!), soups and broths, dressings (Ranch used to be my favorite! :huh:), seasonings, etc. It's a good excuse too, people understand when I say I can't eat it because it gives me migraines. :laugh:
  • wilted6orchid
    wilted6orchid Posts: 423 Member
    I'm with you on the "Oh, BS" front. And, after a little Googling, found the following:
    Tim Horton's does not put MSG (or nicotine, btw) in its coffee. (from http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/timhortons.asp)
    The FDA requires that foods with MSG added to it, it must be identified as "monosodium glutamate" in the label's ingredient list. (from http://www.foodsafety.gov/~lrd/msg.html). So it cannot go by names such as 'Accent, 'Aginomoto,' 'Natural Meat Tenderizer,' etc.
    That FDA website describes the findings of a panel that analyzed the findings of "all available scientific literature" on MSG.

    Not to sounds like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but I believe the organic food industry in this country is corrupt and the fearmongers know exactly what's going on. :tongue:
    Well, I agree with him. And thanks for looking this stuff up. 'Cause if you didn't I was gonna.:happy:
This discussion has been closed.