by Barbara Minton
(Health Secrets) Why is there such an increase in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases? One answer is excitotoxins, chemicals added to food that kill brain cells . One of the most deadly of this group is neurotoxic monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many processed foods and used heavily in almost all restaurants. So what can you do when friends or family want to eat out and this knowledge can spoil the fun? A recent study has found that pre-treating yourself with a supplement of red clover (Trifolium pratense) before eating food laced with this neurotoxin can block damage from MSG. This is good news indeed.
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What did the researchers find?
Researchers have long known that estrogen is protective of neuronal growth, differentiation and survival of neurons in both men and women. Genistein, diadzein and other isoflavones have been shown to mimic the pharmacological actions of estrogen, due to their similarity. Researchers in Italy got the bright idea that the natural mixture of phytoestrogenic isoflavones found in red clover could protect the brain from glutamate toxicity. They used a human cortical cell line to test the efficacy of red clover. Neuronal viability was determined and neuronal membrane damage was quantitatively measured.
Exposure of the cell cultures to glutamate resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in neuronal viability. Concentrations of glutamate ranging all the way down from 5 to 0.5 mm were toxic to the cultures. However, when the cells were pretreated with 0.5, 1 and 2 mug/ml of the isoflavone enriched fraction from red clover, there was a significantly increased cell survival rate and significantly decreased indication of cell damage.
These results indicate that red clover blocks damage from MSG. In addition, the pretreatment prevented the usual morphological disruption of neurons caused by glutamate as shown in microscopic inspection.
More about MSG
MSG is a food additive found in almost all commercially prepared food. It supercharges the taste of food, but not in the way you would think. MSG works by fooling your brain into thinking the food you are eating tastes really great. MSG is an excitotoxin to the brain. When food is consumed that contains MSG, the brain is so over stimulated that it produces mass quantities of dopamine, creating a chemical rush that gives a brief sensation of euphoria. Because MSG is highly addictive, we keep coming back for more and end up overeating. In the process we end up destroying our brain cells too.
Companies that sell processed food love MSG because it makes cheap ingredients taste great. And because MSG comes from a natural amino acid, it can be added to foods labeled natural or organic. It is very difficult to find any canned or packaged soup, dried soup mix, prepared meal, fast food, junk food, or Chinese food that does not contain MSG, It’s in prepared gravy, salad dressing, seasoning blends and mixes, canned beans, bullion cubes, broths, chili and stews. It’s found in many items sold at your favorite health food store, such as the various flavors of Kettle chips, and Garden of Eatin’s chips.