Is There a Link Between MSG & Alzheimers?
MSG is a food additive used as a preservative and flavor enhancer. A strong nervous system stimulant, MSG has been implicated as a poison that intensifies symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
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Identification
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Researchers Patrick and Edith McGreer have stated in the June 2000 issue of Scientific American that Alzheimer's may be similar to an auto-immune disease in which the body's immune system turns against itself. (Reference 1) Certain protein deposits in the brain increase the toxicity of MSG, causing accelerated deterioration in Alzheimer's.
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Effects
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MSG affects the immune system by stimulating nervous system hypersensitivity. This stimulus is significant, making allergy sufferers and Alzheimer's patients more sensitive to a variety of external substances such as tobacco smoke and pollens.
Treatment
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A glutamate blocking drug known as Dimebon, previously used as an antihistamine, is showing promise as a neuro-protective blocking agent that calms the nervous system. Using glutamate blocking drugs to treat Alzheimer's is proving successful.
Prevention/Solution
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Avoiding foods with MSG in all forms can reduce the progression of Alzheimer's and possibly prevent the disease. The reason for this is prevention of nerve cell death due to the toxic effects of glutamate in the body.
Conclusions
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Because glutamates increase an allergic response, it is logical that antihistamine-glutamate blocking drugs which reduce allergy symptoms would benefit Alzheimers patients. Since MSG has also been implicated in obesity and stroke, it becomes more obvious that it may be the cause of all three MSG related diseases.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Stephen Hampshire
