EXCESSIVE MSG LINKED TO BLINDNESS
We all have heard that too much of a good thing can make you go blind. Now that has been proven, at least for monosodium glutamate. Researchers at Japan�s Hirosaki University have demonstrated for the first time thinning retinas coupled with lack of vision in rats fed on diets high in MSG. Not to cause alarm, it should be noted that extremely high concentrations of MSG in the diet were required to show harmful effects in the eyes. MSG accounted for twenty percent of food intake for the group of rats given the largest portion. While it is unlikely that many humans consume this much MSG with any frequency, it is still not known what the threshold for negative effects is when eating MSG-rich diets. For example, there is a higher than average incidence of normal-tension glaucoma in east Asia, where MSG consumption is also markedly high. Such glaucomas are characterized by blindness without the usual increase in eyeball pressure. However, it is not known if this phenomenon is caused by a diet high in MSG, or if genetic factors may be involved. It has also long been known that MSG will cause nerve damage when injected directly into the eye; however, this reporter has never met the gourmet who chooses to consume the seasoning in such a manner. Not to mention that the injection of just about anything into the eye will cause nerve damage�
current science news posted by ted at 10/28/2002 05:36:00 PM
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