http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/30/1041196597685.html
Too many take-aways 'could damage eyesight' December 31 2002 Too many Chinese take-away meals can damage people's eyesight, researchers have found. Scientists found that eating large amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG), used to flavour oriental and processed foods, can injure the retina and lead to vision loss. Rats fed diets high in MSG in Japan developed thinner retinas and began to go blind. Glutamate is an amino acid which acts as a neurotransmitter, a chemical that sends signals between nerve cells. Previous research has already shown that it causes nerve damage when injected directly into the eye. But the Japanese study at Hirosaki University was the first to show that eye damage can be caused by eating food containing MSG. Rats were fed three different diets for six months, containing either high or moderate amounts of MSG, or none. In animals on the high MSG diet, some retinal nerve layers thinned by as much as 75 per cent. Tests to measure retinal response to light showed that the rats' vision was impaired. Those on the moderate diet also suffered damage, but to a lesser extent. The findings, published in the journal Experimental Eye Research, also showed high concentrations of MSG in the vitreous fluid which bathes the retina. MSG bound to molecules on retinal cells and destroyed them, causing secondary reactions that reduced the ability of the remaining cells to relay electrical signals. Hiroshi Ohguro, who led the research, acknowledged that large amounts of MSG were used, New Scientist magazine reported. Rats in the highest group were fed diets consisting of 20 per cent MSG. "Lesser amounts should be OK," said Ohguro, "but the precise borderline amount is still unknown." Professor Peng-Tee Khaw, a glaucoma expert at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said the amount of MSG in the highest diet was "a lot, lot higher than you'd eat". But he added: "If you're a sodium glutamate junkie then you could potentially run into problems with your retina." _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
