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Friday, February 13, 2026

The Hidden Threat: How MSG, Glutamates, and Excitotoxins Are Damaging Our Brains, Hearts, and Health

The Hidden Threat: How MSG, Glutamates, and Excitotoxins Are Damaging Our Brains, Hearts, and Health

For decades, the food and chemical industries have assured us that additives like MSG and aspartame are harmless. They’re marketed as flavor enhancers, sugar substitutes, and “safe” ingredients that make modern foods more convenient and appealing.

But beneath the marketing lies a growing body of research showing that excitotoxins — especially glutamates and aspartame — can overstimulate nerve cells, disrupt hormonal systems, damage DNA, and contribute to a wide range of chronic and degenerative diseases.

This long‑form guide brings together everything we’ve covered about MSG, glutamates, and excitotoxins — including the hidden names they appear under — and explains why avoiding them may be one of the most important health decisions you ever make.

What Are Excitotoxins?

Excitotoxins are compounds that overstimulate nerve cells to the point of dysfunction or death. The most common dietary excitotoxins include:

  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
  • Free glutamates (from hydrolyzed proteins, yeast extracts, “natural flavors,” etc.)
  • Aspartame (which breaks down into aspartic acid, methanol, and formaldehyde)

In small, natural amounts, glutamate is a normal neurotransmitter. But when consumed in large, concentrated, or “free” forms, it becomes toxic — especially to the brain, heart, endocrine system, and developing nervous systems of infants and children.

Natural vs. Processed Glutamates: Why the Difference Matters

Glutamates in whole foods like tomatoes and seaweed are bound within large protein structures. These must be slowly broken down during digestion, and the liver regulates how much glutamic acid enters the bloodstream.

But when proteins are hydrolyzed during food processing, they release free glutamates — unnatural, rapidly absorbed amino acids that bypass the liver and enter the bloodstream at levels 20–40 times higher than normal.

These spikes overwhelm the body’s natural defenses and overstimulate glutamate receptors throughout the body.

Where Glutamate Receptors Are Found — And Why That Matters

Glutamate receptors exist throughout the entire body, including:

  • The brain
  • The heart’s electrical conduction system
  • The GI tract
  • The lungs
  • The pancreas
  • The adrenal glands
  • The reproductive system (including sperm)
  • Bones
  • Retinal tissue in the eye

This means excitotoxins don’t just affect the brain — they can disrupt nearly every organ system.

The Hidden Names for MSG and Free Glutamates

Manufacturers know consumers avoid MSG, so they hide it under dozens of innocent‑sounding names. Any ingredient that contains less than 99% pure MSG can legally be labeled however the manufacturer chooses.

Here are the most common names used to disguise glutamates:

Common Hidden Names

  • Hydrolyzed protein (any type)
  • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
  • Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)
  • Hydrolyzed soy protein
  • Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
  • Autolyzed yeast
  • Autolyzed yeast extract
  • Yeast extract
  • Yeast nutrient
  • Soy protein isolate
  • Soy protein concentrate
  • Whey protein
  • Whey protein isolate
  • Caseinate (sodium, calcium, or other forms)
  • Gelatin

Additives That Often Contain Free Glutamates

  • Natural flavoring
  • Natural flavors
  • Flavoring
  • Spices (when not single‑ingredient)
  • Seasonings
  • Broth
  • Stock
  • Bouillon
  • Carrageenan
  • Enzymes
  • Malt extract
  • Malt flavoring

Food Categories That Commonly Contain Hidden Glutamates

  • Soups and broths
  • Chips and snack foods
  • Frozen meals
  • Salad dressings
  • Protein powders
  • Plant‑based meats
  • Fast food
  • Sauces and gravies

If you see these on a label, you’re almost certainly consuming free glutamates — even if the label says “No MSG Added.”

Excitotoxins and the Heart: Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death

When MSG or aspartame is consumed, blood glutamate levels can spike dramatically. These surges overstimulate glutamate receptors in the heart, contributing to:

  • Arrhythmias
  • Coronary artery spasms
  • Electrical conduction disturbances
  • Sudden cardiac death

Athletes are especially vulnerable. Low magnesium — common in heavy sweaters — makes glutamate receptors hypersensitive, creating a perfect storm when combined with high‑glutamate meals and diet drinks.

Yet most cardiologists have never been taught that glutamate receptors even exist in the heart.

Excitotoxins and the Brain: Neurodegeneration on the Rise

Neurodegenerative diseases are skyrocketing:

  • Alzheimer’s
  • Autism
  • ADHD
  • Parkinson’s
  • Dementia

Researchers often look for a single cause — mercury, aluminum, pesticides, herbicides — but miss the bigger picture.

These toxins all damage the brain through excitotoxic mechanisms.

And we are exposed to hundreds of excitotoxic compounds every single day.

From chemical‑laden shampoos and aluminum‑based deodorants to aspartame‑sweetened drinks and glutamate‑rich processed foods, the modern lifestyle creates a constant, cumulative toxic load.

Excitotoxins and Vision: A Silent Epidemic

The eye lacks a blood‑brain barrier, making it extremely vulnerable to excitotoxins.

Studies show elevated glutamate levels in the vitreous humor of people with:

  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Macular degeneration
  • Glaucoma

Aspartame adds additional risk through methanol, formaldehyde, and aspartate — all toxic to retinal cells.

Even a simple meal of commercial soup and a diet soda can deliver enough excitotoxins to damage retinal and brain cells.

Infants and Excitotoxins: A Critical Warning

Soy contains naturally high levels of glutamates, and food processing releases even more free excitotoxins. This raises serious concerns about soy‑based infant formulas, which also contain:

  • High fluoride
  • High manganese
  • High free glutamate levels

No major studies have yet examined the link between soy formulas and sudden infant death — but given what excitotoxins do to adults, caution is more than justified.

Aspartame: DNA Damage and Long‑Term Risk

Aspartame breaks down into:

  • Aspartic acid (an excitotoxin)
  • Methanol
  • Formaldehyde
  • Formic acid

Radiolabeled studies show formaldehyde attaching directly to DNA — damage that is extremely difficult for the body to repair.

Even a single diet soda can cause DNA injury that lingers for long periods. Repeated exposure increases the risk of mutations and cancers.

The Food Industry’s Role: A Growing Problem

Since 1945, the food industry has doubled the amount of added excitotoxins every decade.

By 1972, over 262,000 metric tons of MSG were added to processed foods annually.

Today:

  • Over 4,000 products contain aspartame
  • More than 100 million people consume it regularly
  • Diabetics — the group most vulnerable to excitotoxic eye damage — are aggressively targeted by marketing campaigns promoting aspartame‑sweetened products

The result is a population increasingly exposed to compounds that overstimulate, inflame, and damage the nervous system.

So What Can You Do?

You are not powerless. You can dramatically reduce your excitotoxin exposure by:

  • Avoiding MSG, hydrolyzed proteins, yeast extracts, and “natural flavors”
  • Eliminating aspartame and other artificial sweeteners
  • Choosing whole, unprocessed foods
  • Reducing chemical exposure from personal‑care products
  • Supporting your body with antioxidants, minerals, and flavonoids
  • Maintaining an alkaline internal environment
  • Using clean, organic, chemical‑free products whenever possible

Small changes add up — and your brain, heart, and long‑term health depend on them.


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