-Caveat Lector- http://www.sightings.com/health3/bdam.htm SIGHTINGS Processed Foods May Damage The Developing Brain By Michael Goodspeed www.exnews.com 6-29-99 During the second half of the twentieth century, there was an exponential increase in the number of chemical additives put in common food and beverage products. Many respected researchers in the field of health and nutrition are wondering aloud if this has played a role in increased levels of violence and mental illness in American society, particularly among young people. One of the most harmful food additives to the developing brain is MSG. For many years, Americans have been aware of the presence of MSG in most Chinese restaurant food. However, few people are cognizant of the fact that food labels which read "NO MSG" are frequently misleading, because companies have learned to cleverly disguise MSG by inventing new names to hide it under. In his book Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Dr. Russell Blaylock explains the horrific effect that MSG and other chemicals called "excitotoxins" can have on the developing brains of young people: "What if someone were to tell you that a chemical added to food could cause brain damage in your children, and that this chemical could effect how your children's nervous systems formed during development, so that in later years they may have learning or emotional difficulties? What if there was scientific evidence that these chemicals could permanently damage a critical part of the brain known to control hormones, so that later in life your child might have endocrine problems?...Would you also be upset to learn that many of the brain lesions caused by these products in your children are irreversible and can result from a SINGLE exposure of these products in sufficient concentration?" Another so-called excitotoxin is aspartame (NutraSweet), and Dr. Blaylock, like many other health experts, says there is evidence "strongly suggesting that the artificial sweetener in your diet soft drink may cause brain tumors to develop, and that the number of brain tumors reported since the introduction of this artificial sweetener has risen dramatically." Many also believe that NutraSweet might play a role in youth violence, due to the fact that it decreases serotonin levels in the brain. Dr. Blaylock goes on to write, "How would you feel when you learn the food industry hides and disguises these excitotoxin additives (MSG and Aspartate) so they can't be recognized? Incredulous? Enraged? The fact is many foods are labeled as having "No MSG" but in fact not only contain MSG but also are laced with other excitotoxins of equal potency and danger." Here is a list of food additives that, according to Dr. Blaylock, always contain MSG: Monosodium Glutamate Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Hydrolyzed Protein Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Plant Protein Extract Sodium Caseinate Calcium Caseinate Yeast Extract Textured Protein (Including TVP) Autolyzed Yeast Hydrolyzed Oat Flour Corn Oil These are additives which FREQUENTLY contain MSG: Malt Extract Malt Flavoring Bouillon Broth Stock Flavoring Natural Flavors/Flavoring Natural Beef Or Chicken Flavoring Seasoning Spices And additives which may contain MSG: Carrageenan Enzymes Soy Protein Concentrate Soy Protein Isolate Whey Protein Concentrate Given the inordinate amount of processed food in the average American diet, these facts should cause great alarm in the minds of health-conscious individuals. From the day US children are born, they are fed a steady dosage of boxed, canned and packaged foods which contain many of the toxins listed above; kids' snacks and meals of TV dinners, candies, chips, ice creams and other desserts are frequently laced with MSG and other toxins. How many cases of teen depression and suicide, or a plethora of mental illnesses afflicting young people (anorexia, bulimia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) might be partly attributed to their diets? Just how prevalent were these problems before these products were put on the market? Is it really a coincidence that many third world countries, struggling with the plights of famine and disease, still have fewer instances of mental illness in their young people? Is this because their diets consist so heavily of natural, holistic foods? Has anyone in the food industry OR the FDA taken the time to wonder what the causal factors might be behind the 20th century explosion of degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's disease and ALS, not to mention teen violence and insanity? Why are no elected officials voicing suspicion about the FDA's handling of the NutraSweet controversy (namely the documented affiliation that many of their officials have with the MONSANTO Co.)? And has the impartiality of the mainstream news media been compromised by their dependence on massive advertising revenues generated by the suspects in this case? It is curious that these important questions have yet to be asked by a single member of the national press core. A sober pessimism has enveloped many in the field of consumer advocacy. In a recent interview with ExNews, Mary Nash Stoddard, head of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, stated that her earlier mission - achieving an outright ban on chemicals like NutraSweet - has shifted to public education, so that consumers will be empowered to make informed health choices for themselves. Both researchers now call upon a concerned public to share with family and friends the truth about the many dangers lurking on our supermarket shelves. SIGHTINGS HOMEPAGE -- Any man can stand adversity, The true test is to give a man power. http://freeweb.digiweb.com/science_fiction/ThePiedPiper/~frame.htm DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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