Magnesium - "The Missing Mineral"
Aspartate and glutamate are excitatory neurotransmitters (i.e.brain chemicals that stimulate neurons to fire) - At high doses (consumed either independently or in excess of other protein-containing foods. E.g. as components of food additives or nutritional supplements like magnesium aspartate), they can potentially stimulate neurons to the point of injury or death, called excitotoxicity. In animal studies, neuroscientists found that aspartic acid loads on the same brain receptors as glutamic acid, to cause identical brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders as glutamic acid, and to act in an additive fashion with glutamic acid. (Similar brain-receptor "overload" results from consuming mono sodium glutamate (MSG) and the artificial sweetener aspartame, which contains aspartate)
MSG - and other forms of neurotoxic free glutamic acid
- Brain damage in mice from voluntary ingestion of glutamate and aspartate - When glutamate and aspartate were added to the water of laboratory mice, the mice voluntarily ingested enough of these substances to cause brain (hypothalamic) damage
- Relief of fibromyalgia symptoms following discontinuation of dietary excitotoxins.
- Adverse reactions to aspartame: double-blind challenge in patients from those with depression and mood disorders -"Although the protocol required the recruitment of 40 patients with unipolar depression and a similar number of individuals without a psychiatric history, the project was halted by the Institutional Review Board after a total of 13 individuals had completed the study because of the severity of reactions within the group of patients with a history of depression."
- Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment.
Quote from study:
"Magnesium glutamate and magnesium aspartate greatly worsened the 59-year old man's depression. . .These magnesium compounds should be considered as neurotoxic to depressives, and perhaps all people, and should not be used during treatment of depression, anxiety or similar hyperemotional disorders."
The blood brain barrier (BBB) only partially protects the brain against neurotoxicity. The BBB is a selective filter, which regulates the level of excitatory amino acids in the brain to a degree. However, some structures of the brain, and in particular the hypothalamus, which is involved in regulating appetite, emotions, energy levels, and hormonal balance, are not protected by the BBB. It is ironic that those who most need magnesium to counter neuronal excitation, suffering from such as migraines, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, epileptics, should then suffer neuronal damage from the chelate part of the magnesium supplement.
