The Slow Poisoning of America - MSG
There has been a lot of concern for many years over the dangers of MSG being added to our food supply. I want to share part of an article that was written several years ago by Donna Russell. It is just as pertinent today as it was then. As I work with patients who suffer with “stubborn weight gain” (weight that doesn’t easily come off), I am convinced that a big part of the problem is chemical toxicities in the body like those caused by food additives like MSG and aspartame. If you want to learn more, read the article below or get the book, “The Slow Poisoning of America” by John Erb. – Dr. Wyly
Slow Poisoning Of America – By Donna Russell
I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic. So did John Erb, a friend of mine. He was a research assistant, at the University Waterloo, 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 the scientists have to create them. They make these morbidly obese creatures by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and humans?) to become obese. They even have a title for the race of fat rodents they create: “MSG –Treated Rats”.
MSG? I was shocked too. I went to my kitchen, checking the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything! The Campbell’s soup, the Hostess Doritos, the Lay’s flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, Kraft salad dressings, especially the “healthy low fat” ones. The items that didn’t have MSG 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. They hide MSG under many different names in order to fool those who catch on.
But it didn’t stop there. When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants what menu items had 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, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, every restaurant, even the sit-down ones like TGIF, Chili’s, Applebees 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!
Why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat? Is it a preservative or a vitamin? Not according to my friend, John. In the book the book he wrote, an expose of the food additive industry called 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 (at http://www.msgfacts.com/facts/msgfact12.html) explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat more. A study of elderly people showed that people eat more of the foods once MSG is added. The Glutamate Association lobby group says eating more benefits 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? The MSG manufactures 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 prepackaged meals, soups, snacks and fast foods we are tempted to eat every day.
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. How can they claim it is safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these?
The Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Obese Rat is a Model for the Study of Exercise in Obesity. Gobatta CA, Mello MA, Souza CT, Ribeiro IA, Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol, 2002
Adrenalectomny Abolishes the Food-Induced Hypothalmic Serotonin Release in Both Normal and Monosodium Glutamate – Obese Rats Guimaraes RB, Telles NM, Coelho VB, Mori RC, Nascimento Cm, RiberiroBrain 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 March
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.
Yes, that last study, written in 1978, was not a typo. Both the medical research community and food manufactures have known MSG’s side effects for decades! (Does MSG cross the placental barrier or become a constituent of breast milk?)
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 http://www.pubmed.com. Type in the words “MSG Obese”, and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear. [Note: there are now more than 400 studies listed connecting MSG and obesity. –Dr. Wyly]
Many studies mentioned in John Erbs book link MSG to diabetes, migraines, and other headaches, autism, ADD/HD and even Alzheimer’s.
Do you have a problem with “stubborn weight gain”? Do you feel sluggish, fatigued and tired much of the time? Do you worry that you have toxicities that are making you sick? And do you worry that it’s getting worse? Do you feel lost about how to handle it? If so, I believe we can help! With Nutrition Response Testing® we are able to detect toxicities and more importantly, we can support the body in eliminating toxins and obtaining a normal weight. Call us today to set up your FREE, no obligation consultation with Dr. Wyly. 501-842-1004.