Jan 18, 2010
Yesterday’s post brought a question from a reader. The reader wanted to know what Excitotoxins are. So, I’ll try to explain what they are and why they are bad.
First and foremost, excitotoxins are thought to play a role in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, ALS and Alzheimer’s. They are substances, usually amino acids, that react with glutamate receptors in the brain in such a way as to cause damage to certain brain cells. Some excitotoxins are MSG, Aspartame and hydrolyzed vegetable protein.
The brain can usually protect itself from too much glutamate (the most common excitotoxin) with the blood-brain barrier (BBB), but the BBB can not protect the brain from constant onslaught of excitotoxins. And some diseases can make the BBB more susceptible to excitotoxins. These diseases include, but are not limited to, diabetes, stroke, hypoglycemia, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and Alzheimer’s.
You can read more about excitotoxins here. But basically they can damage brain cells and can possibly bring on greater disorders. And they are rampant in our food supply because of “our” heavy reliance on processed foods that contain substances such as MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, caseinate, yeast extract and natural flavoring. Eating fresh foods is truly best whenever possible.
