Had a frightening experience yesterday. Had lunch at a local buffet where I had encountered what I suspected as MSG problems before. Hadn't been there in months but thought I would risk it. BIIIG mistake! Within 30 minutes I was having trouble and soon it was almost impossible to walk. That way all afternoon and into evening. Had eased by about 50% by bedtime but that is still eight hours of life lost. They must have really dumped a bunch in something. I still have a headache (it constricts capillaries in the brain).

Constricted cappillaries would lower the oxygen available and induce hypoxia I am sure. I wonder what happens to the BBB while that is going on? Then there is the glutamate receptor issue. Regardless, I spent a very miserable evening. Caveat dinor!

From the thread on sodas:

E621 - monosodium glutamate

A flavour enhancer often associated with Chinese food, it's also found in canned and frozen foods, and snacks like crisps. A study by Hirosaki University in Japan in 2002 discovered eating a diet high in MSG could damage the retina, leading to loss of vision. Researchers said small amounts in the diet were OK but those with existing retina problems should be careful. The Migraine Trusts also lists MSG as a common migraine trigger and says many sufferers eliminate it from their diets. Last year, Professor Howard and a team of researchers from the University of Liverpool found MSG combined with other additives, such as brilliant blue food colouring, stopped nerve cells growing and disrupted brain-signalling systems.


You wonder how many studies have been done on MSG and PD? Go to Medline and type the terms in. You can read BOTH abstracts. That's right, a food additive that is everywhere and messes with us big time has exactly TWO hits.