Posted by Larry Hoover on March 30, 2007, at 9:15:35
In reply to Glutamic acid.....?, posted by Meri-Tuuli on March 30, 2007, at 8:12:17
> Hey all
>
> What exactly is Glutamic acid? How does it affect the brain, and should I be concerned about eating it in foods? I do like abit of vegemite/marmite, which are good sources of B vitamins.
>
> Marmite for those of you unacquainted with the stuff:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite
>
> "As with other yeast extracts, Marmite contains free glutamic acids"
>
> I've been reading how its got something to do with strokes/GABA and would like to know if anyone knows anything...
>
> Kind regards
>
> Miss MeriGlutamate is a neurotransmitter. Well, at least, a neuromodulator. It's excitatory, when released into a synapse. Taurine directly antagonizes it, and is usually released along with it.
When you eat a food with free glutamate, you can sometimes feel the effects. It excites the tongue's taste receptors, for example, so it is a common food additive in processed foods (as the sodium salt, MSG). Free glutamate is one of the things that gives soy sauce its flavour enhancing effects. Salt is another. Anyway, free glutamate from food can sometimes be felt in the brain as a bit of a buzz. It can cause pulse increases, and flushing, and headache. It depends on your sensitivity, and the dose ingested. "Chinese food syndrome" is glutamate sensitivity. Just take some taurine, and it goes away, BTW.
Following a stroke, excitatory amino acids are responsible for some of the damage that occurs. That's really not relevant to diet in any way. GABA also antagonizes glutamate. It's just one of the yin/yang things in the brain. Balancing acts going on all the time.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:745397
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070320/msgs/745410.html