A Low Glutamate Diet Improves Cognitive Functioning in Veterans with Gulf War Illness, 2020, Kirkland et al.

Objectives
The objective of this research was to investigate a novel low glutamate dietary intervention for Gulf War Illness (GWI), a chronic multi-symptom disorder that includes cognitive dysfunction.

Methods
Forty GW veterans with GWI were recruited from across the US. As part of a larger clinical trial, participants completed computerized cognitive testing and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) using CNS Vital Signs® (CNSVS) software. Before diet initiation, subjects received intensive dietary counseling. Post-diet assessments were completed after 1 month on the diet, and then participants were randomized to a 2-week double-blind placebo-controlled crossover challenge with glutamate (MSG)/placebo administered over 3 days of each week. The CNSVS battery was administered again on the 3rd day of each challenge week. The challenge data have not yet been un-blinded, and therefore will not be included in this abstract. Pre-post testing (t-test or Wilcoxon Signed Rank test) was conducted for each domain in the CNSVS battery, including an overall marker of neurocognitive function (NCI) and the ASRS.

Results
Several cognitive domains were significantly improved after 1-month on the low glutamate diet, including NCI (P < 0.01), executive functioning (P = 0.01), cognitive flexibility (P < 0.05), motor speed (P < 0.01), processing speed (P < 0.05), and psychomotor speed (P = 0.001). However, reaction time was slower at post-diet testing (P = 0.01). ADHD symptoms were also significantly improved at post-diet (P < 0.0001).


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7258392/

 

I believe it is available on Scihub but currently there appears to be a problem with the verification system that a user is not a robot. Despite using the correct word, i cannot proceed.


I would immediately get unilateral tinnitus ( a commonly occuring symptom to ME patients) upon ingestion of Glutamine, MSG and any foods with a very high content such as Whey protein, protein bars (hydrolysed protein), parmezan cheese etc. Moreover, i wonder if the body of certain people cannot tolerate glutamine and glutamine being a cofactor of Glutathione production, what the implications would be (e.g low Glutathione?)

 

Completely agree.

The use of MSG is curious given how badly some react to it.

In the early years if being ill my husband and I went for a rare meal out. He wasn't as knowledgeable and involved in helping back then. He knew I had to be careful about what I ate.

Anyway, I had my back to the kitchen and so didn't see the chefs chucking white powder into some of the pots and pans. He saw but didn't say anything.

We skipped a starter and just had a main course. I considered having a mint tea afterwards but before the dessert menu could be placed in front of us the agony started & I could literally see my stomach puffing up.

We lived about 5 minutes (by car) away & I barely made it to the loo and had to stay there for at least an hour.

This was the effect of one meal with MSG. I know I had severe gut trouble but I'm sure there are plenty of folk who had much worse. I thought gut issues were associated with GWI?

Anyway, a very odd choice to increase glutamine.

 

oh.

I get that from time to time, from chinese dishes, most often from buffets (I used to occasionally go to such things).

I've always assumed it was down to the toxic stuff produced by something in poorly stored cooked rice i.e. left out too long at room temperature after cooking.

That I was just more sensitive to it than the others I was with, who did not display similar symptoms (which is fortunate, neither I nor they having multiple toilets available lol)

I was not aware it was a symptom of MSG issues.

 

...Also known as the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome

 

Interesting as glutamate is an issue in cancer. Cancerous cells use it as an alternative fuel when glucose is not sufficient.

There have been comments in the past re similarities to cancer cell behaviour ( probably re glucose ?).

 

Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain.

 

I had read somewhere that glutamate does not cross BBB easily and most glutamate is made from pools of glutamine in brain as neurons can't directly make it from glucose?

EtA this was probably 3am reading so could well be wrong

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859338/

This is an n=1 case study, but this patient had IBS, fibro, and OCD (which I suffer with) and improved on a low glutamate diet.

Edit. Just noticed one of the authors is an author of the study above. Hmm.

 

Yeah, I wondered how you could separate out the effects of removing high-glutamate foods from the effects of removing other ingredients and compounds also found in those foods.

 

Stored, cooked rice can certainly make you sick. Not sure if it triggers vomiting too?

These are classic MSG symptoms for people who don't get on with MSG. I'm not a big fan of chinese food and am very, very careful about where we get it on the rare occasions we do have it.

 

From personal experience even quite small changes in what, how much and when we eat can produce a significant effect. Especially, if we don't usually make conscious decisions about food and consider what suits our bodies. Let's face it, few do.

For example - if the flavour of your favourite food has changed, you might find you don't eat quite as much of it quite as often. If the food also happens to be one that you don't realize you have a mild allergy to, it can make a huge difference. This was me with peanuts - I love peanuts and peanut butter but didn't realize I was mildly allergic. So no anaphylaxis, but gut problems, headaches etc. Bizarrely, when I ate them regularly I used to crave them.

Diet is an extremely complex issue. Depending on what you change, just one thing can make a massive difference.

 

I don't understand the connection or the relationship between glutamine, glutamate, and glutathione. People have tried to explain it to me before but it just doesn't penetrate. I took L-glutamine powder for quite a long time (a couple of years) and found it very helpful for reducing apparent inflammation in my gut.

 

From what i read, L-Glutamine converts to Glutamate.


I actually was expecting to find patients commenting here that they found Glutamine beneficial. I think that Glutamine (along with Cysteine) are the "Love or Hate" supplements. See below two snapshots from a presentation i gave recently to the CureME team :








Unfortunately, having spoken to ME patients , i found some of them using Whey Protein as a cheap alternative to putting protein in their diet (...) I do not know whether this is beneficial to all of them. More importantly, here is more about the "Love or Hate" supplements. I believe that these can be used to identify ME patient subtypes :

 

glutamate has been shown to act as an „energy substitute“ in tissues where tca cycle was „broken“ in multiple metabolic diseases.

 

What if this tca cycle energy substitute cannot be tolerated by some individuals?