Common Foods Are Attacking Your Brain with Toxins

[RobinN]

Blaylock Tip of the Week

Chronic illnesses of all kinds are now appearing in astronomical rates. A recent comprehensive review found that neurological disorders have been grossly underestimated and that neurodegenerative diseases are reaching frightening proportions among both our youth and older populations.

Autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), certain cancers (leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma) and a number of endocrine-related disorders have all exploded in recent years. So, what gives? The majority of “authorities” have concluded that most of these problems have an environmental cause, which means we are doing this to ourselves.

The big question is, What environmental toxins are responsible? The evidence indicates that a wide assortment of toxins acting together in an additive or synergistic way cause these quasi-epidemics.

There is general agreement that a drastic change in our diets over the decades, with heavy doses of junk foods and other foods with poor nutritional content, also contributes heavily to our problems. One of the major changes has been a huge increase in MSG, which is toxic to the brain, in our diets. MSG raises the amount of the amino acid glutamate in the brain, which in high levels, can cause the death of nerve cells.

Since many people try to avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate), food manufacturers have disguised its presence. We frequently see MSG hiding behind such innocent-sounding names as hydrolyzed protein, vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, whey protein, and natural flavoring, spices, enzymes, autolyzed yeast extract, stock, broth and carrageenan.

It is important to realize that when humans eat a meal containing MSG, their blood levels of potentially toxic glutamate rise 19 times to as much as 50 times higher than normal. This is sufficient to cause brain injury.

For more information on MSG and its devastating effects on the body, go here to check out my special report “Food Additives: What You Eat Can Kill You.”

Combined with the excessive use of vaccines, which also triggers excitotoxicity within the brain, dietary excitotoxins can have devastating effects on brain function. This is especially true if the vaccine contains mercury, such as the flu vaccine. For more information ... my special report “Save Your Brain: Protect Yourself from the Ravages of Alzheimer’s and Other Diseases.”

Americans eat a tremendous amount of sugar, especially in sweetened drinks and colas, which is also toxic to the brain. A 12-ounce cola contains 9 tablespoons of sugar. Since 1974 cola consumption has doubled, even among the elderly. Diet colas are not a solution either — the aspartame found in many diet drinks is a powerful brain toxin and accumulates in the brain (as formaldehyde).

Foods high in omega-6 fats (corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, soybean and canola oils), protein, cheeses, sugar and carbohydrates are also known to significantly interfere with brain function. They can also lead to a number of health problems, such as insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive behavior, anger, aggressiveness, suicide, and criminal behavior.

Dr Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. (born November 1945) is a board certified neurosurgeon, health practitioner, author, lecturer, and newsletter editor.
I think his list of accomplishments speaks for his integrity, and honesty in medicine. He does have a subscription newsletter that you can subscribe to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Blaylock

[hawke86]

Very interesting and good information.

[renee97]

As I was saying-------!
Yes, this is very informative and we should be made aware of these toxins. At the same time, avoiding all of these foods and trying to eat a healthy diet would be near impossible considering the prevalence of junk food, fast food, and marketing of unhealthy eating habits. One could easily become "foodophobic," or paranoid about "should I eat this or that" or not eat anything at all. I do the best I can and if I make a mistake my digestive system will let me know so that I will remember not to do that again!
R97

[forward2007]

Are they implying Complex Carbohydrates like whole wheat and brown rice are bad for the brain also Robin?

[skillefer]

My family and I eat out once a month. Other then that, we pretty much eat at home. Everything is cooked at home. The only pre made foods we eat are sandwich meats (the kids), canned soups (used when cooking w/ crock pot), and Ramen noodles (the kids). Oh, and the occasional ice cream. It's hard to eat a perfect diet when raising teens. There's so much peer pressure. And let's face it, almost all the advertising is geared to teens. But we do eat home cooked, no pre-prepared food dinners about 4-5 nights a week. We sit and talk at the table. We encourage the kids to go out and ride bikes (which they do aobut 3-4 times a week.). We spend about 2 nights a week together playing games like Monopoly, Twister, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, Dominoes, Cards. So that's at least 2 nights where the TV is not turned on. There's plenty of books in the house....(reminds me, I need to talk to hubby about getting another book case...at this rate, I'll soon have more than the school library....) And the kids actually see that we spend time reading and talking to each other instead of being plugged into the boob tube. All we can do is set the example......

[RobinN]

Are they implying Complex Carbohydrates like whole wheat and brown rice are bad for the brain also Robin?

I am so sorry that I did not see this earlier.

To some people whole wheat is not a food that is healthy. It does have gluten and it is a fact that this is a product that damages the intestinal tract. Which then inhibits the absorption of proper nutrients to the brain. For others the irritation or damage does not seem to affect them as much or not until they are much older and then it might only be attributed to old age.

Rice does not have the same allergic reaction as the other main four (wheat, dairy, soy, corn) but for some if they turn to it as a major part of their diet it is now showing up to be a problem. Seems vegetables need to be the prime component of a persons diet.

[RobinN]

CBNNews.com - There's a double threat out there that may help explain poor school performance, criminal behavior, alcoholism, and the growing numbers of Alzheimer's patients.

The possible culprits: food additives and junky diets. Dr. Russell Blaylock says it's a double whammy because of high sugar content and starchy carbohydrates. Those carbs, too, act like sugar in the body.

Blaylock is a retired neurosurgeon, clinical nutritionist, professor of biology at Belhaven College, and author of numerous books. In addition to writing a monthly health newsletter, The Blaylock Wellness Report," he recently put his lecture Nutrition and Behavior onto DVD.

On that DVD, Blaylock explains the sugar syndrome: "Why would sugar have such a profound influence on brain function and psychological function? Now when the sugar is in excess, it produces excess release of insulin."

That is, if the insulin release is excessive, the blood sugar falls. That's known as hypoglycemia.

Among other effects, hypoglycemia causes the brain to secrete glutamate in levels that can cause agitation, depression, anger, anxiety, panic attacks and an increase in suicide risk.

Glutamate is a messenger molecule in the body. Tiny releases of glutamate play an important role in the body, but any excess can be dangerous - especially to the brain and nervous system.

This glutamate is identical to the flavor-enhancing monosodium glutamate (MSG) and its chemical cousins found in thousands of food products.

Consumed in food and added to the effects of sugar and simple carbs, serious excesses can result. For instance, repeated hypoglycemic episodes will increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's and ALS (Lou Gehrig's).

This low blood sugar can affect people in many different ways - especially considering the high numbers of vulnerable individuals.

It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of U.S. adults are hypoglycemic. In children, the response is often hyperactivity. In both children and adults, there can be violent and aggressive behavior. In older people, there can be mental confusion -- as the low sugar fails to fuel the brain and making it more prone to Alzheimer's.

More here:
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/353246.aspx

[RobinN]

There are plenty of skeptics who contend that dietary intervention has no impact on autistic symptoms. But I say you can’t argue with success. And I’m not alone. Thousands of other parents, as well as a group of physicians associated with Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!), testify that this diet works. In fact, Karima Hirani, M.D., a DAN! physician in Los Angeles, claims that the gluten/casein-free (GFCF) diet could help alleviate symptoms in as many as 60 to 70 percent of children with ASD.

What is it about gluten and casein? The scientific answer isn’t absolute but one popular explanation is the leaky gut syndrome. According to Karl Reichelt, M.D., director of clinical chemistry at the Department of Pediatric Research at Rikshospitalet (National Hospital) in Oslo, Norway, many children with ASD suffer from a leaky gut, a condition where incompletely digested proteins (peptides) seep from the intestines into the blood stream. He observed that these peptides have progressions that match those of opioid peptides, casomorphin and gliadomorphin. Dietary sources of these opiate peptides are casein and gliadin (gluten). When a child with a leaky gut ingests foods that contain casein and gluten, the peptides enter the blood stream, head to the brain and attach to opiate receptors there, prompting the child to have sensory issues and to react with unmanageable behavior.

http://www.livingwithout.com/2008/jj08autism.html

[haird18]

Robin,
According to another nuerosurgeon who was a pediatric nuerosurgeon.
He is saying the same thing in fact he has changed practices to focus on the brains nutrion and what things are good and bad. He also said MSG and High fructose is bad for you.
David