There are an additional five Lines of Evidence that lead inevitably to the conclusion that manufactured free glutamate (MfG), such as that found in hydrolyzed proteins and monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a well-disguised poison – a poison that may well be hidden in your very own pantry.
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If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
What do you think it took to get Aaron Hutcherson, a Washington Post food writer of good reputation, to take a propaganda piece advertising a brain-damaging food additive, disguise it as a foodie article and submit it to the Post? And worse yet, have the Post print it.
Aaron Hutcherson’s article includes much of the standard glutamate-industry propaganda, starting with the statement that Chinese restaurant syndrome is blamed for MSG’s bad reputation. Predictably, that ignores the fact that after MSG and its free glutamate component were reinvented in 1957, people began having reactions after eating MSG and talking to each other about them. Kwok (the doctor who wrote the Chinese restaurant syndrome letter printed in The New England Journal of Medicine) wasn’t the only person who reacted to MSG, but the reactions of others weren’t published.
In the Hutcherson article there’s also the fiction that to react to MSG you have to consume more than 3 grams MSG without food (a fabrication based on the fact that once, in one study, subjects reacted to 3 grams of MSG without food).
Similarly, in studies with subjects said to be MSG-sensitive where they were given MSG or a placebo, the claim is made that scientists have not been able to consistently trigger reactions.
That was guaranteed by giving subjects “placebos” that contained amino acids that caused reactions identical to those caused by the glutamic acid in the MSG test material. In other words, the “placebos” weren’t really placebos.
Then there’s the bit about “The glutamate in MSG is chemically indistinguishable from glutamate present in food proteins. Our bodies ultimately metabolize both sources of glutamate in the same way.” That statement simply ignores the fact that the glutamate in MSG, being manufactured, comes with unwanted by-products of production which inevitably include D-glutamic acid and pyroglutamic acid along with other impurities depending on the materials used to feed the bacteria that produced the MSG and the extent of the processing. The glutamate present on food proteins has none of that.
And of course, there is the brainwashing component of the article, where celebrity chefs applaud MSG’s use, and feel-good words and images are paired with “delicious” MSG.
But Hutcherson also does something just a tad different. Most propaganda pieces say something about the so-called “alleged” dangers of MSG, but Hutcherson doesn’t. So, I’d like to introduce you to the series of blogs that the Truth in Labeling Campaign is doing titled “There are seven lines of evidence leading to the conclusion that the manufactured free glutamate (MfG) in monosodium glutamate is toxic.” The “Overview” was posted on August 24 and “Line 1” was posted on August 26. You can read them at https://bit.ly/3DqyS51 and https://bit.ly/3sUty5g respectively. And there will be more to follow.
Do you think there’s a chance that the Washington Post would even mention those articles? Not since the 1991 60 Minutes program on toxic MSG has any major media in the U.S. even suggested that MSG might be anything other than a harmless food additive.
If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
Over the course of the next few blogs the Truth in Labeling Campaign will be unveiling the Seven Lines of Evidence that lead inevitably to the conclusion that manufactured free glutamate (MfG), such as that found in hydrolyzed proteins and monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a well-disguised poison – a poison that may well be hidden in your very own pantry.
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If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
Over the course of the next few blogs the Truth in Labeling Campaign will be unveiling the Seven Lines of Evidence that lead inevitably to the conclusion that manufactured free glutamate (MfG), such as that found in hydrolyzed proteins and monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a well-disguised poison – a poison that may well be hidden in your very own pantry.
Look for Line One on Thursday.
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If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
Although the terms “toxin” and “poison” are often used interchangeably, there are some significant differences. According to encyclopedia.com “A chemical is said to be a poison if it causes some degree of metabolic disfunction in organisms. Strictly speaking, a toxin is a poisonous chemical of biological origin, being produced by a microorganism, plant, or animal.” (Emphasis added.)
It goes on to say: “It is critical to understand that while any chemical can cause poisoning, a threshold of tolerable dose must be exceeded for this to actually happen.”
So, strictly speaking, MSG, which is manufactured by humans as opposed to being produced by a microorganism, plant, or animal, is a poison.
The Free Dictionary would seem to agree. It defines a poison as “a substance that, on ingestion, inhalation, absorption, application, injection, or development within the body, in relatively small amounts, may cause structural or functional disturbance.”
There are four very interesting facts about the poison in MSG.
1) The poisonous component of MSG is free glutamate. It’s free glutamate that triggers glutamate receptors, enhancing the flavor of food, and at the same time operating as a poison.
2) There are lots of products in addition to MSG that contain free glutamate. Just like the free glutamate in MSG, each enhances the flavor of the food with which it is eaten while it plays out its role as a poison.
3) Prior to 1957, tolerable doses of free glutamate would not have been exceeded, and the small amounts of free glutamate in processed foods would have not been poisonous. Prior to 1957, there wasn’t enough free glutamate in processed foods eaten during the course of a day to produce more free glutamate than could be tolerated.
4) In 1957, a revolutionary method for producing MSG and the free glutamate in it was introduced and the use of both MSG and other free glutamate-containing flavor-enhancers began to grow exponentially. From that point forward, the amount of free glutamate in processed foods easily exceeded the amount that could be ingested without causing adverse reactions and/or brain damage.
The dose makes the poison.
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Watch for it.
Over the course of the next few blogs the Truth in Labeling Campaign will be unveiling the Seven Lines of Evidence that lead inevitably to the conclusion that manufactured free glutamate (MfG), such as that found in hydrolyzed proteins and monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a well-disguised poison – a poison that may well be hidden in your very own pantry.
The first blog in the series will be August 24.
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If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
Did you know that obesity can be caused by pregnant women passing manufactured free glutamate to fetuses and newborns where it causes brain damage that in turn causes gross obesity, behavior disorders and reproductive disfunction (infertility)? Where do you find manufactured free glutamate? Think hydrolyzed proteins and MSG.
Watch for it.
Over the course of the next few blogs the Truth in Labeling Campaign will be unveiling the Seven Lines of Evidence that lead inevitably to the conclusion that manufactured free glutamate (MfG), such as that found in hydrolyzed proteins and monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a well-disguised poison – a poison that may well be hidden in your very own pantry.
The first blog in the series will be August 24.
_________________________________________
If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
Over the course of the next few blogs the Truth in Labeling Campaign will be unveiling the Seven Lines of Evidence that lead inevitably to the conclusion that manufactured free glutamate (MfG), such as that found in hydrolyzed proteins and monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a well-disguised poison – a poison that may very well be hidden in your own pantry.
_________________________________________
If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
It sure is easy to get sucked into the “MSG-is-safe” advertising. Let’s face it, they’re very good. They’ve hired the best. And we all can get pulled in.
I’m embarrassed to tell you how many times I’ve looked at the sentence “MSG is the salt form of the amino acid glutamate, which occurs naturally in a wide range of protein-rich foods and vegetables, such as shrimp, seaweed, and tomato,” and wondered if the sentence is designed to mean 1) “MSG,” a manufactured flavor enhancer, occurs naturally in food, or 2) “glutamate” occurs naturally in food.
It has only just occurred to me that the reader is supposed to come away with the idea that MSG occurs naturally in foods like shrimp, seaweed, and tomatoes. That, after all, is one of the glutamate industry’s essential lies.
The truth is that MSG is manufactured. It doesn’t occur naturally in anything.
Here the lie is just put more subtly than usual. Still, I can’t believe how long it took me to recognize this as fine-tuned propaganda designed to leave you and me with the misconception in our heads that MSG occurs naturally in food. That’s how good they are at deceptive and misleading advertising.
In case you’ve missed the glutamate industry’s list of essential inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and deceptions we’ve recapped it here.
The six big fat lies
#1: The glutamate contained in MSG is identical to the glutamate in the human body
#2: MSG is very well researched and found to be safe.
#3: It must be safe since the FDA has said so.
#4: MSG has been used for over a century without adverse reactions.
#5: MSG is naturally made, similar to yogurt, vinegar and wine.
#6: Monosodium glutamate occurs naturally in food.
Actually: MSG is manufactured using genetically modified bacteria that excrete glutamic acid through their cell walls. In the United States, monosodium glutamate is produced in Ajinomoto’s plant in Eddyville, Iowa.
The Ajinomoto plant in Eddyville, Iowa
The Whopper
Humans couldn’t eat enough Manufactured free Glutamic acid (MfG) to cause the brain damage, endocrine disorders, and assorted reactions that the laboratory animals had experienced.
In addition to out and out lies, there’s the question of the ethics of omission of facts relevant to the safety of a product. The FDA says that it is illegal to omit relevant information when describing drugs. That’s what the drug inserts are all about. But according to the FDA – and the legislators who fund them – telling the whole truth about poisonous ingredients doesn’t hold true for food.
A big push has been launched in Nigeria to promote sales of MSG and the Nigerian branch of the Japanese company that now manufactures it. As always, the propaganda aimed at Nigerians is attractive, persuasive, and delivered by authorities, celebrities and other “experts.” Following are snippets (all of them lies) taken from a July 25, 2021 article in Punch:
“The safety of AJI-NO-MOTO® has long been scientifically proven and its safety approved by authorized agencies of the United Nations.”
“An extensive body of research which has been reviewed by scientists and governments around the world, including the US FDA, the American Medical Association, experts of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization and the European Commission’s Scientific Committee for Food demonstrates that glutamate is safe.”
“Umami seasoning, according to [the subject of the interview] has been safely used as food ingredient since 1908 after it was discovered by a Japanese scientist, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda.”
“MSG’s 113-years history of safety validated by health organizations across the globe,”
“MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese.”
“MSG does not cause allergy; it does not cause asthma– no link at all; it does not cause obesity; no adverse effect on the lung. Again, no study has shown any group of people not to take glutamate.”
“Almost all seasoning contains MSG”
For more about the dangers posed by coming in contact with MfG (the poisonous ingredient in MSG) and the people who manufacture and market it, see:
There are seven lines of evidence leading to the conclusion that the manufactured free glutamate (MfG) in monosodium glutamate is toxic.
How does the FDA rationalize its ongoing defense of monosodium glutamate (MSG)? Easy, create a “controversy,” or more specifically, a controversy FDA style.
A controversy FDA style over the safety of MSG was fabricated (produced / manufactured / concocted) when:
1) Lots of people got sick after eating MSG (1), neuroscientists working outside of industry showed there was brain damage after feeding large doses of MSG to laboratory animals (2a,2b), and researchers studying glutamic acid (glutamate) in various corners of the globe warned that ingestion of free glutamate (such as that found in MSG) should be limited because it had been shown to be hazardous to human health (3); and
2) The manufacturer of MSG produced research that guaranteed negative results (no harm done by the product) using placebos that would cause reactions identical to those caused by MSG, for example (4), suppressed information about the hazards of MSG (5), and, with the active support of the FDA (6) claimed that MSG is a harmless food additive.
2a. Review of animal studies done in the 1970s that have demonstrated the toxicity of MSG and MfG (including review of animal data offered inappropriately as evidence that MSG is harmless). https://www.truthinlabeling.org/assets/review_studies.pdf
If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
Two years ago, we posted a blog alerting you to the hidden, excitotoxic (brain damaging) free glutamate in pea protein. Since there has been a lot of interest in that topic, we think it’s time to repost the article. Here is the original piece, along with an interesting comment we received (and our reply) at the end.
Hydrolyzed Pea Protein
Ingredients called “protein” on ingredient lists are not proteins.
Beef is “beef,” soy is “soy,” tomatoes are “tomatoes,” and peas are “peas.” Those are the FDA’s “common or usual names” for whole foods. “Pea protein” is made of man-made amino acids manufactured in food processing plants with peas as the starting material. And each and every man-made/manufactured hydrolyzed pea protein will contain the three potentially toxic amino acids* aspartic acid, L-cysteine, and glutamic acid. This is true for every hydrolyzed protein. It may be called “natural,” “organic,” or “raw,” but it will still contain potentially toxic aspartic acid, L-cysteine, and glutamic acid. There are no exceptions. And there are no toxic amino acids in whole protein.
Today, there is a widespread marketing effort to substitute hydrolyzed vegetable protein for real protein, and to expand the use of hydrolyzed proteins in general. While there certainly are other varieties of hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, pea protein is presently the favorite of food manufacturers.
Substituting vegetables for meat may have many benefits for consumers, but hydrolyzed vegetable proteins don’t deliver vegetables. What they provide are arrays of amino acids which are produced in food processing and/or chemical plants. And three of those amino acids (L-cysteine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid) can be toxic to humans. These three amino acids are called “excitotoxins” by scientists. When consumed in amounts that exceed what a human needs for normal body function, they cause brain damage, endocrine disorders, and observable reactions such as asthma, migraine headache, a-fib, fibromyalgia, and seizures. Glutamic acid is the amino acid in MSG that causes brain damage, endocrine disruption, and adverse reactions.
Manufacturers’ claims of benefits for manufacturers
1) Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins are making great inroads into health and nutrition markets.
2) Every hydrolyzed protein will have flavor-enhancing properties. Glutamic acid, the amino acid that triggers taste buds to cause increased perception of taste, will be found in all hydrolyzed proteins.
3) Clean labels are certainly at the top of the list. Unfortunately, not all consumers have caught on to the fact that glutamic acid (a.k.a. glutamate), which is the toxic component of MSG, will be found in all hydrolyzed proteins. So while more and more consumers are attempting to avoid MSG, substituting a flavor-enhancing hydrolyzed vegetable protein for flavor-enhancing MSG would allow the product to have a “clean label” – one that would give the consumer no clue that it contained glutamate, MSG’s toxic component.
4) Hydrolyzed vegetable proteins will have great appeal for vegetarians, vegans and others who want to limit their intake of meat.
Manufacturers’ claims of benefits for consumers (which will also benefit industry)
1) Protein-rich, non-animal products are in great demand as more and more people look for substitutes for meat, fish, and poultry. Hydrolyzed proteins contain the arrays of amino acids that make up most proteins. So, properly promoted, hydrolyzed protein products will appeal to those looking for vegetarian or vegan sources of dietary protein. The fact that high-protein diets are being touted for weight-loss, makes these products even more attractive.
2) Chemical-free claims are another way the food industry is hyping hydrolyzed proteins. Although all hydrolyzed proteins are produced in food processing and/or chemical plants, industry’s promotional materials refer to hydrolyzed vegetable proteins as being “natural” – saying they are derived from a variety of “natural plant resources.”
That should be no surprise since MSG, which is made by fermentation of carefully selected genetically engineered bacteria that secrete glutamic acid through their cell walls, is referred to by industry as “naturally occurring.”
A production flow sheet for manufacturing hydrolyzed vegetable protein
3) Claims of health benefits from hydrolyzed vegetable proteins are typically made. Market-watchers claim that consumer awareness of these so-called benefits is increasing. The claim has been made that hydrolyzed vegetable proteins will help reduce intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, and because it’s an effective way to lower cholesterol, it will decrease the risk of heart disease.
But even with all that propaganda going for it, something is still bothering the glutamate industry.
You’d think that with all their research and planning, glutamate industry giants would feel secure in their efforts to sell hydrolyzed proteins to naïve consumers. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. It would appear that consumers’ growing recognition of the toxic effects of the manufactured glutamic acid in MSG, hydrolyzed proteins, maltodextrin, and some other 40+ ingredients is getting in the way of sales. One industry watcher said it this way, “The high contents of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in hydrolyzed protein products continues to be a bottleneck for pervasive adoption as consumers show an unprecedented alacrity** to read labels to spot ingredients with a bad rep in terms of potential side effects.”
The Truth in Labeling Campaign would like to take some of the credit for that greater consumer awareness and “alacrity.” So, let’s hear it for the Truth in Labeling Campaign — since 1994, providing consumers with the names of ingredients in which manufactured free glutamate, the brain-damaging, endocrine-disrupting, reaction-causing component of MSG, are hidden.
*killing brain cells and disrupting the endocrine system when present in quantity **enthusiasm, readiness, quickness, promptness, speed, swiftness, rapidity, keenness, zeal
Comment from Cesar Barbero:
It is incredible the level of IGNORANCE in the post. All aminoacids could be toxic (like water) in excess, this is why they are degraded/excreted when eaten in excess. Pea protein contains > 20% glutamic acid covalently linked inside the protein chain. Upon ingestion, te protein is hydrolyzed in the digestive tract to free aminoacids (including glutamic acid). Eating partially hydrolyzed protein, raw protein isolate, raw peas or the completely hydrolized protein, is the same because only the aminoacids are absorbed. In fact, it has been shown that muscle growth (in bodybuiliding) is faster when using the completely hydrolyzed protein than the protein isolate, because no internal hydrolysis is required.
Reply from the Truth in Labeling Campaign:
Thank you for sharing your concerns.
You don’t seem to realized that there are only a handful of excitotoxic amino acids, and only three that are added to processed foods: glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and L-cysteine. (You might want to look up a definition of excitotoxicity.)
When the words “pea protein” appear on a food label, the ingredient being referred to is a hydrolyzed protein produced using peas as the starting material. If “peas” were an ingredient in a product, the ingredient label would say “peas.”
Your statement, ”Pea protein contains 20% glutamic acid covalently linked inside the protein chain. Upon ingestion, te protein is hydrolyzed in the digestive tract to free aminoacids (including glutamic acid)” pertains to the protein present in peas – whole, unadulterated, unprocessed peas. If “peas” were an ingredient in a product, the ingredient label would say “peas.”
What is the meaning of, “[amino acids] are degraded/excreted when eaten in excess.”
The following statement is not true. It is not true that “Eating partially hydrolyzed protein, raw protein isolate, raw peas or the completely hydrolized protein, is the same ……” Truth is that when proteins are hydrolyzed, the glutamate produced is accompanied by unwanted by-products of production.
What is the meaning of “…the same because only the aminoacids are absorbed.” Are you saying that when you eat something nothing is absorbed except amino acids? No vitamins, minerals, starches etc.?
The following is irrelevant to the material covered in the post, but could you tell me, anyhow, the source of this statement: “ In fact, it has been shown that muscle growth (in bodybuiliding) is faster when using the completely hydrolyzed protein than the protein isolate, because no internal hydrolysis is required.” I seem to have missed reading that research report.
Again, thank you for sharing your concerns. I’m sure our readers will appreciate both your comments and our replies.
If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.
