Amino Acids in Bone Broth – Glutamic Acid

Glutamic Acid, or Glutamate, is the amino acid with the fourth highest concentration in bone broth. You can read about the first three amino acids here: Amino Acids in Bone Broth and How They Help You and Broth – Hydroxyproline: Critical for Healthy Skin, Bones, Teeth, Joints and More.

My Internet search has led me to the consensus that Glutamic Acid is one of the few nutrients that crosses the blood/brain barrier and is a major player in brain/neural function. It is an excitatory amino acid, causing an increase in neural activity. The National Institute of Health is conducting a study of the role of Glutamic Acid in reducing nerve damage in certain cancer patients who are being treated: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00369564. My search also shows that Glutamic Acid is used to treat patients suffering from depression, ADD, ADHD, fatigue and chronic fatigue, alcoholism, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, mental retardation, and schizophrenia. Glutamic Acid does appear to be helpful in maintaining heart health and prostate health. That said, for sufferers of stroke, the brain has too much Glutamic Acid, causing nerve cells to die from overstimulation, so doctors medically suppress it.

I do not recommend that people supplement their diets with Glutamic Acid – that is a completely personal decision after you conduct your own research. I do know that there is plenty of it in the foods we eat: meat, eggs, poultry and fish. And bone broth of course. It really is all about the food. People who eat nutrient dense, traditionally prepared foods experience robust health unfettered by the many medical problems suffered by those who follow the Standard American Diet (SAD).

I do know that ADD, fatigue, and chronic fatigue can all be cured by a diet which heals the gut. My family has done it, and bone broth has been a key part of our recovery. My reading has convinced me that depression, ADHD and other autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, bi-polar disease and others can also be cured by healing the gut, as discussed in Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s Gut and Psychology Syndrome. Dr. McBride’s work was the basis for our great health recovery. You can learn more at www.gapsdiet.com.

To learn how to prepare bone broth, visit these posts and videos on my blog: Remember to Save Those Turkey Bones!

MSG

Finally, Glutamic Acid is the foundation for monosodium glutamate, or MSG. As many people know, MSG is an illness and disease causing, human created thing stuck in “food” so that “food producers” do not have to spend more money making real food. People especially sensitive to MSG can suffer seizures, respiratory failure, brain lesions and many, many more problems.

MSG is everywhere. Perhaps its greatest threat is that it is the basis for aspartate, which is heavily used in the production of diet soft drinks. Dr. Marcelle Pick states: “According to Beverage Digest, overall sales of soda (sugar and diet) were 10.2 billion cases in 2005; that rounds out to be about 828 eight-ounce servings a year (or 2-½ servings per day) for every man woman and child” (see Diet soda — how healthy is it?). Aspartate and glutamate are excitotoxins that stimulate the neural cells to death. The more you drink or eat of this MSG and artificial sweeteners, the more of your brain you kill. As an added bonus, you increase your chances to invite and promote cancer. Here is an interview with Dr. Russell Blaylock, M.D. giving greater details: http://www.naturalnews.com/020550_MSG_aspartame_cancer.html

MSG, aspartame and other flavor enhancers are clearly more examples that processed “foods” do destroy health.

Comments

[Scotty]

Hey Laura,

Thanks for the great blog posts, which are most appreciated.

I eat most of my food raw, including grass-fed meat, fat and organs, although I've been experimenting with different bone broths/stocks recently, according to your advice (for skin healing, tooth healing etc.).

I've noticed that every time I consume broth (even just a cup), it triggers a "trance" feeling, as well as a very mild headache. I suspect that I'm sensitive to the free glutamic acid in the broth, which must be excitotoxic for me (like MSG, aspartame etc.). This reconciles with many forum posts that I've read on broth glutamate-induced excitotoxicity for those sensitive to glutamate.

Glutamate and amine sensitivity are very interesting topics, implicating all kinds of things like sub-clinical hypothyroidism, excess PUFA tissue concentration etc.

I'm perturbed because I feel that bone broths would be very healing for me, if I could tolerate them (I don't want to harm my neurons in the process).

I've even tried eating raw cartilage from all areas of the animal (even the spinal discs!), which I chewed to a pulp (very chewy) but I still had a reaction.

Can you give me your opinions/advice please?

Very best regards,

Scotty

[xig]

i would like to know more info. i too get bad head aches when drinking small amounts of home made grass fed broth. nowu got my worried if i hav hypothyroidism, cuz my mom does. wy did this topic die. i cant find any info on wy bone broth makes me feel so sick

[Laura Combs]

Thank you both for reading. I think I replied to Scotty directly, and I probably didn't have much to say.

Go to this link to learn more about troublesome reactions to broth. At least it is a place to start! http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1337259/is-bone-broth-all-that-it-is-hyped-up-to-be-lets-talk-about-tf-myths