Celiacs With Glutamate Sensitivity? Causes Depression

[Evangeline]

Depression, anxiety, paranoia, temper tantrums - All related to gluten, soy or glutamate intolerance

I have been on a gluten-free diet for a year now. But I didn't start seeing good results until I had removed corn, dairy and soy from my diet. Two weeks ago, I began taking the product "Glutamate" to help my intestines heal. Instead, I had a gluten-like reaction (depression) afterward even though it was gluten-free. Last week, I had the same reaction to gluten-free vitamin that contained glutamate as well. After I avoided corn for 2 months, it gives me the same reaction.

I am aware that a large percentage (30%?) of Celiacs have a negative reaction to glutamate. I decided to research the topic and discovered that it is part of a "glutamate intolerance" -- and the four major foods which contain the most glutamic acid are gluten, soy, corn and dairy. There are other foods, like tomatoes, mushrooms, sesame seeds and individuals may be sensitive to those as well, but according to the research I've done, if the individual removes the "big 4" from his diet --that is, gluten, soy, corn and dairy-- the other sensitivities will go away.

When I removed the "Big 4" from my diet, my hair started to grow back and my health conditions have lessened. I make a mistake at least every two weeks (corn is in everything!), but I have noticed a huge improvement by avoiding the majority of these foods. When I make a mistake and eat glutamate or corn, my condition begins to return.

I am wondering if there are others out there with this sensitivity?

[gf-soph]

I have a definite sensitivity to large doses of glutamate such as MSG, I get major and sustained face flushing and headaches. I also seem to have some level of sensitivity to some classes of amines, though I am still testing them out.

I am eating soy and dairy and doing ok, but I have cut out all other sources in the diet so I must be going under my personal threshold. It's such an individual thing what you can tolerate.

I'm glad you've had such good results with your diet!

[Evangeline]

  On 3/30/2011 at 12:42 AM, gf_soph said:

I have a definite sensitivity to large doses of glutamate such as MSG, I get major and sustained face flushing and headaches. I also seem to have some level of sensitivity to some classes of amines, though I am still testing them out.

I am eating soy and dairy and doing ok, but I have cut out all other sources in the diet so I must be going under my personal threshold. It's such an individual thing what you can tolerate.

I'm glad you've had such good results with your diet!

I have found the opposite to be true: It is not that each person has a different toleration level, but that the body has become so accustomed to the inflammation caused by a food that we don't even know we are sensitive to it. I have been researching this topic for four years now and all research points to the fact that most people don't even know they are intolerant to a food until they practice an avoidance diet for at least 2-3 months. I never had a reaction to soy or corn. None whatsoever. Zero. But when I removed them from my diet for a two months, my body's reaction to the food's re-introduction was 1000 times stronger. When I had corn again, I had the worst depression I have ever experienced in my life. According to all the research I have read (medical studies), the avoidance diet allows the body to calm down and become used to "what is normal" and then the immune response to its re-introduction is the tell tale sign.

[EdwardL]

It is in your best interest to never eat unfermented soy. As well as having high levels of glutamate, it also has high levels of phytic acid and should be considered a poison. Did you know that they did a 25 year study and that CT scans showed the people who ate the most soy had the highest incidence of dementia and brain atrophy. This website Open Original Shared Link and Open Original Shared Link as well as many others discuss all the harmful effects of soy.

I assume you don't use artificial sweeteners. Open Original Shared Link

Magnesium and Curcumin, a turmeric extract, help block excessive glutamate in the brain. Open Original Shared Link

[Evangeline]

Interestingly, I just learned that glutamate is high in vaccines in the form of MSG. I was one of those babies who had a reaction to the vaccines (I had a more severe reaction - seizures). I have never had a seizure since, but I have had many "undiagnosable" health problems - that is, until I began removing gluten, corn, soy and dairy from my diet. Now my body appears to be returning to normal for the first time since childhood.

Also, after searching around on the internet, there is a veterinarian who found a link between seizures in animals and glutamate intolerance (the animals must be put on a diet free of gluten, corn, soy and dairy). There are other articles on the internet that found depression in Celiac Disease and other neurological diseases (anxiety, paranoia, schizophrenia) linked to the ingestion of foods high in glutamic acid and glutamate intolerance.

Perhaps reactions to vaccines could be one of th first indicators that the child might have a glutamate intolerance?

[T.H.]

  On 3/30/2011 at 3:25 PM, Evangeline said:

According to all the research I have read (medical studies), the avoidance diet allows the body to calm down and become used to "what is normal" and then the immune response to its re-introduction is the tell tale sign.

....

There are other articles on the internet that found depression in Celiac Disease and other neurological diseases (anxiety, paranoia, schizophrenia) linked to the ingestion of foods high in glutamic acid and glutamate intolerance.

Evangeline, could you share some of your research sources? It's sounds very interesting, but I haven't come across anything on glutamate before and I'd be interested in learning about it. :-)

[gf-soph]

  On 3/30/2011 at 2:29 AM, EdwardL said:

It is in your best interest to never eat unfermented soy. As well as having high levels of glutamate, it also has high levels of phytic acid and should be considered a poison. Did you know that they did a 25 year study and that CT scans showed the people who ate the most soy had the highest incidence of dementia and brain atrophy. This website Open Original Shared Link and Open Original Shared Link as well as many others discuss all the harmful effects of soy.

I assume you don't use artificial sweeteners. Open Original Shared Link

Magnesium and Curcumin, a turmeric extract, help block excessive glutamate in the brain. Open Original Shared Link

I appreciate your concern, and I'm not claiming to be fully aware of the current state of research into long term health effects of unfermented soy, but I did have a look at the websites you linked to and I can't see any peer reviewed published studies there to back up their assertions. If anyone does have that sort of information, I will happily take a look.

I don't use artificial sweeteners, and will look in to information about glutamate blockers.

Thanks

Sophie