Obesity Research: MSG and Aspartame

In this month's issue of Well Being Journal (March/April 2007) there is an interesting article, "The Obesity Epidemic." Jack Samuels examines research initiated by John W. Olney, M. D. in 1968 at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. Olney found lesions in the hypothalamus of obese mice who had been given the food ingredient monosodium glutamate (MSG) a chemical additive used in foods to enhance taste. Subsequently, many scientists have confirmed Olney's finding suggesting that the food additive MSG does damage the hypothalamus which may result in obesity. Furthermore, it appears that aspartic acid found in the artificial sweetner aspartame also causes similar lesions to the hypothalamus. Aspartame is widely used in diet sodas. Dr. Janet Hall in her book Sweet Poisons list the many neurologic and psychological adverse reactions and side effects to ingesting this chemical. Samuels concludes his article by unequivocally asserting that the epidemic of obesity has been caused by the increasing use of MSG and aspartame in our food supply. Read the entire article. Samuels website has extensive information on the adverse effects of MSG. Likewise Dr. Hall's website details the effects aspartame.