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Processed Foods Linked to Body Aches, Fatigue

  • Spence Cooper
  • March 20, 2012

The reasons to avoid processed foods continue to mount. Not only are processed foods linked to depression; processed foods are also contaminated with GMO’s in the form of genetically modified high fructose corn syrup, and other staple ingredients containing GMO’s.

Now we learn chemical food additives used to add flavor to processed foods, such as aspartame (NutraSweet), hydrolyzed protein, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), may be linked to a condition known as fibromyalgia.

The Mayo Clinic defines fibromyalgia as a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.

“Symptoms sometimes begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event.”

The Mayo Clinic adds that people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression.

“Aspartame (NutraSweet) acts as an excitotoxin’ in the brain,”says Barbara Mendez, RPh, MS, a pharmacist and nutritional consultant in New York. “When these neurotransmitters are overstimulated, they compromise the neurotransmitter receptor sites, amplifying the sensation of pain”

“Everyday Health” writer Wyatt Myers cites a study conducted in Portland, Ore., in which patients with fibromyalgia pain and irritable bowel syndrome underwent a month-long diet that eliminated hydrolyzed protein and similar food additives from their diet.

“Thirty percent experienced a reduction in symptoms. Then, as a follow-up, for three days patients drank juice with a placebo or juice mixed with MSG. Those who had the MSG beverage found their symptoms got worse.”

In a recent French report, a 50-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man eradicated their fibromyalgia pain completely by eliminating aspartame from their diet. Peter Bongiorno, a naturopathic physician in New York City, claims his fibromyalgia patients had the same success by eliminating aspartame from their diet.

Processed Foods Linked to Body Aches, FatigueIf you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, or believe you suffer from this condition, to determine if your condition is associated with food additives, Myers advises identifying and then eliminating food additives from your everyday diet. Foods and beverages labeled as “diet” should be scrutinized to check for aspartame in the ingredient list.

“When it comes to hydrolyzed proteins, steer clear of foods with the names glutamic acid, yeast extract, sodium caseinate, and autolyzed yeast in the ingredients list. Many packaged foods have these in their ingredient list.”

Barbara Mendez says to eat whole foods, as they exist in nature, rather than relying on packaged or processed foods, which almost always contain MSG or some derivative.

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