Showing posts with label MSG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSG. Show all posts
July 13, 2015
327 Leptin Resistance [13 July 2015]
I have previously written several times about the role of insulin and insulin resistance in weight gain but there is another compound involved called leptin.
Leptin, sometimes called the “satiety hormone”, was discovered in 1994. It is secreted by fat cells and tells our brain that we have enough stored energy. It reduces our appetite and promotes the burning of fat for energy. Leptin resistance occurs when this message is blocked, resulting in food cravings, continued fat storage, and eventually obesity. Leptin resistance can also be a factor in female infertility.
Several factors contribute to leptin resistance:
• excess dietary sugar, especially fructose
• high insulin levels
• high triglyceride levels
• inflammation
• MSG (SHN #135)
• lack of sleep
• stress
• low calorie diets that are not ketogenic (your body thinks it’s starving)
So what can we do to reverse leptin resistance?
• greatly reduce simple carbs and processed foods
• eat adequate protein and healthful fats
• avoid between meal snacks to give your liver a rest
• exercise (but don’t overdo cardio)
• get at least 8 hours of restful sleep
• lower insulin levels (e.g. with a ketogenic diet)
Leptin resistance is recognized as a key risk factor for obesity (Zhou & Rui, 2013). Identifying the causes and taking steps to reverse it will make any weight loss program easier to follow and much more effective. The ketogenic diet we use in our Rosetown weight loss clinic doesn’t specifically address leptin resistance but does indirectly deal with the factors causing it, particularly insulin levels, triglycerides, inflammation and dietary sugar.
Sources:
MindBodyGreen post by Barbara Komorek
Wellness Mama post
WebMD article
Dr. Mercola interview with Dr Richard Johnson
Dr. Richard J Johnson book "The Diet Switch"
Y. Zhou and L Rui technical article Front Med 2013 Jun: 7(2) 207-222
For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
October 17, 2011
136 Eliminating MSG [17 Oct 2011]
Last week we looked at the health risks of excess monosodium glutamate (MSG). This week I want to show you how to find and reduce it in your diet.
First, who should be concerned about avoiding MSG?
• Not just those who experience the immediate temporary symptoms sometimes called “Chinese restaurant syndrome”, because the disabling neurological effects may take years to develop.
• Anyone who doesn’t need to put on more fat because of its property of encouraging overeating.
• People diagnosed with cancer because it has been shown to increase the growth and spread of tumors.
• Anyone who wants to prevent neurological diseases like MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, asthma and epilepsy.
• In short, everyone.
MSG is found in many processed foods (it’s one of Colonel Sander’s “11 secret herbs and spices”). One estimate has the average American consuming 2 pounds a year.
Avoiding processed free glutamic acid (the chemical from MSG that causes the problems) is not as easy as you may think. There are more than 40 different food ingredients that contain this chemical. Some common examples are: glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, calcium glutamate, magnesium glutamate, yeast extract, “hydrolyzed protein”, textured protein, caseinate soy protein, and whey protein. For a complete list of names and tips on avoiding glutamic acid see www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources_printable.pdf.
Glutamic acid and its glutamate salts should not be confused with the amino acid L-glutamine – a supplement used to enhance muscle building and wound healing. Glutamic acid is itself an amino acid and acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter, which is why an excess can cause neurological problems.
This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
First, who should be concerned about avoiding MSG?
• Not just those who experience the immediate temporary symptoms sometimes called “Chinese restaurant syndrome”, because the disabling neurological effects may take years to develop.
• Anyone who doesn’t need to put on more fat because of its property of encouraging overeating.
• People diagnosed with cancer because it has been shown to increase the growth and spread of tumors.
• Anyone who wants to prevent neurological diseases like MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, asthma and epilepsy.
• In short, everyone.
MSG is found in many processed foods (it’s one of Colonel Sander’s “11 secret herbs and spices”). One estimate has the average American consuming 2 pounds a year.
Avoiding processed free glutamic acid (the chemical from MSG that causes the problems) is not as easy as you may think. There are more than 40 different food ingredients that contain this chemical. Some common examples are: glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, calcium glutamate, magnesium glutamate, yeast extract, “hydrolyzed protein”, textured protein, caseinate soy protein, and whey protein. For a complete list of names and tips on avoiding glutamic acid see www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources_printable.pdf.
Glutamic acid and its glutamate salts should not be confused with the amino acid L-glutamine – a supplement used to enhance muscle building and wound healing. Glutamic acid is itself an amino acid and acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter, which is why an excess can cause neurological problems.
This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
October 11, 2011
135 MSG: Much More than a Buzz [11 Oct 2011]
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a common but controversial food additive approved for use in Canada.
Health Canada’s position follows that of most food manufacturers, that MSG is a natural substance whose safety is unquestioned. In fact in Canada MSG is considered a “flavour enhancing ingredient” and is not regulated as a food additive. The Health Canada website states: “…MSG is not a health hazard to consumers… However, some individuals who consume MSG may exhibit an allergic-type reaction … [and temporarily experience] a burning sensation, facial pressure, headache, nausea and chest pains.”
This “Chinese restaurant syndrome” buzz may be the least of our worries. MSG also affects the leptin receptors in our hypothalamus so that even after eating enough we still feel hungry. This makes it a food manufacturer’s dream but also a likely contributor to the obesity epidemic. In fact scientists now use MSG when they want to fatten lab animals for research.
Free glutamate (released by MSG) is an excitotoxin, a substance that over stimulates nerve cells and can damage or even kill them. Lab animals fed MSG show toxic degenerative changes in their liver, kidneys, eyes, nerves and brain. MSG has been linked to a long and growing list of conditions: stroke, heart attacks, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, autism, ADHD, asthma, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer. And unlike the immediate buzz, these conditions may take years to develop.
Even more disturbing is the discovery that glutamate feeds cancer cells, causing them to grow faster and become more invasive. To date, MSG has been linked to melanoma, breast, thyroid and colon cancers as well as glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly nasty brain cancer.
Note these are links only, and more study is required to prove a causal connection. Health Canada must wait until proof is indisputable before acting, but you don’t! Next week: how to identify and eliminate MSG from your diet.
Sources: Cancer Defeated Newsletter #122 “This Food Additive is Like Fertilizer for Cancer” October 2, 2011; website of Russell Blaylock MD, neurosurgeon.
This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
Health Canada’s position follows that of most food manufacturers, that MSG is a natural substance whose safety is unquestioned. In fact in Canada MSG is considered a “flavour enhancing ingredient” and is not regulated as a food additive. The Health Canada website states: “…MSG is not a health hazard to consumers… However, some individuals who consume MSG may exhibit an allergic-type reaction … [and temporarily experience] a burning sensation, facial pressure, headache, nausea and chest pains.”
This “Chinese restaurant syndrome” buzz may be the least of our worries. MSG also affects the leptin receptors in our hypothalamus so that even after eating enough we still feel hungry. This makes it a food manufacturer’s dream but also a likely contributor to the obesity epidemic. In fact scientists now use MSG when they want to fatten lab animals for research.
Free glutamate (released by MSG) is an excitotoxin, a substance that over stimulates nerve cells and can damage or even kill them. Lab animals fed MSG show toxic degenerative changes in their liver, kidneys, eyes, nerves and brain. MSG has been linked to a long and growing list of conditions: stroke, heart attacks, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, autism, ADHD, asthma, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer. And unlike the immediate buzz, these conditions may take years to develop.
Even more disturbing is the discovery that glutamate feeds cancer cells, causing them to grow faster and become more invasive. To date, MSG has been linked to melanoma, breast, thyroid and colon cancers as well as glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly nasty brain cancer.
Note these are links only, and more study is required to prove a causal connection. Health Canada must wait until proof is indisputable before acting, but you don’t! Next week: how to identify and eliminate MSG from your diet.
Sources: Cancer Defeated Newsletter #122 “This Food Additive is Like Fertilizer for Cancer” October 2, 2011; website of Russell Blaylock MD, neurosurgeon.
This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
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