Many snack foods contain one or more glutamate additives, some of which appear on the label under disguised names. The food additives glutamate, glutamine, and aspartate are all powerful insulin-stimulating amino acids that are either excitotoxins themselves or are converted into excitotoxins in the body (as we see with glutamine).

These food additives can cause damage to the liver, the brain, and the heart. They are also known to cause gross obesity, especially when fed to youngsters. That type of obesity is extremely difficult to correct through diet and exercise, and often becomes a lifelong condition.

A number of studies have also shown that monosodium glutamate (MSG) causes metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes when exposure occurs early in a person’s life.

Eating a diet that contains trans fats and glutamate additives dramatically increases the incidence of metabolic syndrome. It also increases the risk of severe liver damage, ultimately leading to fatty liver disease, a condition that is exploding in this country, especially among the young.

High fructose corn syrup also dramatically increases the risk of developing a fatty liver.

One way glutamate causes gross obesity is that it destroys a special nucleus in the hypothalamus of the brain that regulates the body’s response to leptin, a substance essential to controlling obesity. This condition is called leptin resistance, and it is common among people with extreme obesity.

It is essential for parents to remove all excitotoxin food additives from the diets of children, especially infants and toddlers. Such additives include:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein

• Hydrolyzed plant protein, whey protein concentrate, and protein isolate

• Soy protein concentrate and isolates

• Carrageenan

• Autolyzed yeast

• Natural flavoring

• Sodium or calcium caseinate