What Is Glutamate?
The neurotransmitter glutamate is produced in your body, and is also found in many foods.
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that sends signals in the brain and throughout the nerves in the body.
Glutamate plays an important role during brain development. Normal levels of glutamate also help with learning and memory.
Having too much glutamate in the brain has been associated with neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease), according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Problems in making or using glutamate have also been linked to a number of mental health disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
In addition to passing chemical messages from one nerve cell to another, glutamate has many important functions in the brain.
Too much glutamate may damage nerve cells and the brain.
Glutamate can be damaging in two ways: Too much glutamate in the brain may make the nerve cells oversensitive, meaning that fewer glutamate molecules are needed to excite them; and at high concentrations, glutamate can also overexcite nerve cells, causing them to die.
Prolonged excitation is toxic to nerve cells, causing damage over time, as outlined by researchers at Stanford. This is known as excitotoxicity.
Researchers have been studying therapies that attempt to inhibit glutamate activity for the treatment of ALS, as noted by the ALS Association. One glutamate-blocker, riluzole (Rilutek), has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While riluzole does not reverse damage already done by ALS to the patient’s nervous system, clinical trials have shown that it can extend a person’s life by a few months.
Glutamate is a naturally occurring amino acid found in many different types of food. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.
Glutamate is perhaps best known as the food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG).
MSG is used as a flavor enhancer commonly found in fast food, canned soups and vegetables, processed meats, and condiments like soy sauce.
MSG can also be found naturally in many foods, including tomatoes, cheeses, mushrooms, seaweed, and soy, notes the FDA.
Some people report adverse reactions to MSG, such as headaches, nausea, or heart palpitations. To date there is no definitive research to support this connection, but many researchers do acknowledge that people may experience some short-term reactions, notes the Mayo Clinic.
According to the FDA, MSG is generally safe at the levels commonly found in the typical American diet.
©2025 sitename.com All rights reserved