Excitotoxins and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Flickr Commons: Image provided by Colin

Have you ever wondered why neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s Chorea and Parkinson’s are becoming more common? There are many causes of neurodegenerative diseases but one of the most destructive ones is excitotoxin. Independent researchers concluded that excitotoxins stimulate nerve cells to death, because they cause them to fire very rapidly. The overstimulation of nerve cells is caused by an increase of glutamate and aspartate.

Glutamate and aspartate are natural transmitter chemicals found in the body. In safe levels, they work together with nerve cells by allowing them to safely transmit electrical signals. In high levels, they can become very toxic and stimulate nerve cells to death. This is one of the reasons why people experience headaches or increase of alertness after consuming food and drink products containing excitotoxins, such as aspartame and MSG.

The discovery of how excitotoxins destroy nerve cells is nothing new. It has been known by health researchers and excitotoxin manufacturers since the 1950s. Unfortunately, the world of conventional food has ignored these studies because it is profiting a lot from excitotoxins.

Excitotoxins are found in many food products, especially junk food. These toxins are also found in baby food, which is even more dangerous. Because babies are still developing, they are very sensitive to excitotoxins. If you have children or planning to have them, you should educate yourself about excitotoxins. Some researchers believe that excitotoxins may be one of the major contributors to birth defects and learning disabilities, because of their harmful effects on the nervous system and the brain.

One excitotoxin product you need to be aware of is found in sugar-free drinks. Sugar-free drinks are low in calories because they do not contain regular sugar (sucrose), but they usually contain artificial sweetener, such as sucralose or aspartame. Sucralose is considered a cousin of the harmful chemical DDT and most aspartame is made from the fecal matter of genetically engineered bacteria. Most, if not all, artificial sweeteners have excitotoxin properties.

Food substances that contain excitotoxin

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Aspartame (Nutrasweet, AminoSweet)
• Sucralose (Splenda)
• L-cysteic
• Hydrolyzed protein
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Hydrolyzed plant protein
• Plant protein extract
• Textured protein
• Calcium caseinate
• Sodium caseinate
• Yeast extract
• Autolyzed yeast
• Hydrolyzed oat flour

Other toxins that may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases

• Aluminum (found in some vaccine)
• Thimerosal, a mercury-based derivative (found in some vaccine)
• MPTP (1 – methyl-4-phrenyl- 1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridine)
• L-BMAA (L-B-N-methylamino-L-alanine)
• Pesticide and herbicide
• Designer drugs (e.g. ecstasy)

Sources:

• Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills
• http://naturalsociety.com/1999-investigation-finds-aspartame-is-made-with-genetically-modified-bacteria/

Related Posts:

• MSG: The Food Enhancer That Kills
• Artificial Sweetener Danger

Tags: Brain Toxins, Excitotoxins, Food Toxins, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurotoxins

Category: Physical Energy