Glutamate: an omnipresent alimentary poison

One finds glutamate everywhere: in salt, pepper, oil, conserved vegetables, fish, hamburgers, Coca-cola, carbonated drinks, soy sauce, dishes of Asian cuisine…It is an inexpensive additive which increases the tastiness of the food. This product, which resembles salt, is added to industrial baking recipes: bread, cakes, biscuit and cookies, as well as to wines, pre-prepared sauce bases, cooked dishes, ‘reduced’ products, and fat-free dairy products. And, for a long time, one connected glutamate to the “Chinese restaurant syndrome.”  But now, this product is causing worry, after recent studies have shown correlation between this product and Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.

• Why is a taste exhauster used?

Because it allows for the use of very small quantities of the original material, without altering the taste. For example, in a ‘chocolate flavored’ cookie, very little chocolate is used, and glutamate is added. And the trick is done, with all the benefit going to the manufacturer. By the way, as glutamate is an irritant of the digestive tract, it releases a mechanical hunger, which pushes one towards more consumption- even more benefit for the manufacturer.

• But what exactly is glutamate ?

It is an amino acid (glutamic acid), which functions as a neurotransmitter. It is present in the brain and acts on the hormones and neurons.  It is essential in the process of memorization and training. The problem is that there is a difference in molecular structure between natural, biological glutamate and the synthesized, chemical molecule. It is purified and is not recognized by the body in the same way as the living one. However, the key argument of manufacturers is that being a natural product, it couldn’t be dangerous. This is false. We have the proof that, integrated in regular repeated doses, the synthetic product is a dangerous poison, even more so because the body is incapable of identifying the taste of glutamate. Because of this, the consumer can exceed his tolerance level without knowing it. The tolerance level has been set at an average of 5 mg. Children’s brains in particular do not have protection against glutamate, and their intellectual development can be put in danger by the incessant nervous influxes which glutamate provokes in a disorderly fashion. Glutamate can also provoke serotonin poisoning, a factor of the destabilization of the functions of the skin, which can cause acne, baldness and pimples from an excess of sebum.

• What are the major signs of possible glutamate poisoning ?

Migraines, hair loss (especially for women), rapid weight gain (water retention), and depression. But it can also have other symptoms:

Gastro-intestinal

• Irritation of the intestines- stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea.

Muscular

• Muscular pains, joint pains.

Dermatological

• Very dry skin, hair loss, bleeding gums, aphts, Gingivitis.

Respiratory

• Asthma

Neurological

• Extreme fatigue, depression, irritability, anxiety, panic attacks in children, headaches, sciatica.

Glutamate in the pharmacy

One can find glutamate in many different forms in more than 200 current medicines. When you see these forms, it is a signal of glutamate:

• Hydrogenated ricin oil
• Hydrogenated soy oil
• Sodium glutamate, under various names: Glutamate of sodium, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium glutamate.
• Salt, or derivative: acetylglutamic acid, arginine glutamate, magnesium glutamate, glutamic acid.
• Drinkable solution: antasthene glutamic vitamin C, Glutadouze, Glutavene (USA).

What is the Chinese restaurant syndrome ?

A meal composed generally of a soup with mushrooms and soy sauce provokes, for some sensitive people, a sudden migraine, violent nausea, or an intense cutaneous reaction. A dazed weakness bordering on paralysis can also result. The rare patients who consult a doctor afterwards, show a decreased heart rate, vomiting and intense salvation. The doctor often doesn’t note anything, and does not recognize any neurological signs. The recovery is made without after-effects or consequences, except a possible nightmare on the night following the meal.

Glutamate’s different names, and what products they can be found in

• Monosodium glutamate, MSG: Cookies for children, pudding, biscuits, bouillon cubes, raw meat in supermarkets, prepared sauces
• Monopotassium glutamate
• Glutamic acid: Cooked and frozen dishes.
• Calcium caseinate
• All hydrogenated proteins: cooked dishes.
• Solid milk extract: yogurt, milk, industrial pastry cream
• Hydrogenated oils: cookies, biscuits, cooked plates, medicines
• Yeast extracts: all pastries, industrial pastry cream
• Commercial baker’s yeast: All industrial bread, and a large number of “artisanal bread.”
• Malt extract: cookies, (including Organic cookies) 10% of white flour is made from wheat malt.
• Carrageenan : Prepared sauces, cooked plates, frozen goods, ice cream.

Why isn’t glutamate illegal ?

Maybe it’s up to the consumer himself to be responsible and exercise the liberty of choice. When we buy their products, the poisoners head straight for the bank, and cash their checks.

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