By Michelle Schoffro Cook

MSG by any other name would still be just as harmful. When most people hear the name monosodium glutamate or MSG, they assume this chemical food additive is only found in Chinese food. While it is true that this chemical flavor tends to be used in many Chinese food restaurants, this brain and nervous system toxin masquerades under many different guises and is found in a huge number of common foods.

Monosodium glutamate has been linked to many serious health conditions, including: hormonal imbalances, weight gain, brain damage, obesity, headaches and more, you may be shocked to learn how prevalent it is. MSG is almost always found in processed, prepared and packaged foods. Even when there is no sign of it on the label, it is still frequently hidden in many prepared foods. That's because it goes by a wide variety of other names, including: hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, yeast extract, textured protein, autolyzed yeast and hydrolyzed oat flour.

What's even more shocking than MSG's seemingly ubiquitous nature is how the additive affects the brain. There is a protective mechanism in the brain known as the blood-brain barrier. The brain depends on careful control of chemicals to operate smoothly. Even small fluctuations in the concentrations of chemicals can cause drastic disruptions in brain function. When a category of chemicals known as excitotoxins enter the brain, they literally excite brain cells until they die. Monosodium glutamate is added to foods as a taste enhancer, but it is a well-established excitotoxin.

Additionally, some parts of the brain such as the hypothalamus and the pineal are not protected by the blood-brain barrier, yet these parts of the brain control many hormones in the body as well as other bodily functions, including mood. When MSG enters the brain, not only does it kill brain cells, it wreaks havoc on brain functions.

Many people react within 48 hours of ingesting MSG, even in minute amounts, which can make it difficult to trace back to the food source that caused the reaction. The effects can include: headaches, hives, canker sores, runny nose, insomnia, seizures, mood swings, panic attacks, heart palpitations and other heart irregularities, nausea, numbness, asthma attacks and migraines. Many of my clients report experiencing restless leg syndrome after accidental ingestion of MSG.

Research by neurologist and author of the book Excitotoxins: the Taste that Kills, Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD, shows that MSG slowly enters the brain, bypasses the blood-brain barrier and reaches peak concentrations in the brain three hours after ingesting it. The high levels of MSG in the brain remain for 24 hours after the initial ingesting of the contaminated food.

According to Dr. Blaylock, MSG can be especially detrimental to people who have experienced some sort of brain injury or a genetic predisposition to brain disease.

Avoid prepared and packaged foods as much as possible. Avoid eating at fast food restaurants since they are notorious culprits when it comes to MSG usage. If food products, such as those made in-house at the bakery and deli departments in grocery stores, don't contain an ingredient list, you should assume it contains MSG. These types of food items frequently contain MSG. Avoiding as many of the MSG-containing culprits listed above can also help reduce your exposure.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Care2.