After following diet changes and doing some research, I started to get a better understanding of the role of excess glutamate in many health issues.  There is a huge connection between excess glutamate and autism.  In my opinion, dietary sources of free glutamate in addition to intrinsic glutamate or glutamate signaling produced by the body, play a much bigger role in health issues than we realize. Due to the number of glutamate receptors throughout the brain and its regulation of over 50% of our nervous system, I personally believe excess glutamate is a central mechanism behind the majority of autism symptoms. When glutamate and inflammation are high, it can be detrimental, causing the neurons to fire so rapidly that they die or cause extreme mitochondrial dysfunction and trigger a cyclical reaction between high glutamate, inflammation, and immune activation. This damage to neurons and neural pathways can actually change the way the brain is “wired”.

I believe diet and lowering inflammation (and therefore glutamate) is the foundation of healing. If this step is overlooked, it will be harder to see a reduction in symptoms because glutamate will still be high. In my opinion, this is why many see improvements with other whole-food diets; most end up lowering inflammation and inadvertently lower glutamate levels. Paraphrasing Dr. Amy Yasko, if you could only do one thing to heal your child from Autism, lower glutamate levels from the diet. Many following a low glutamate diet have achieved substantial healing from diet alone. However, some may need to dig deeper or should dig deeper. One of the most significant puzzle pieces or unknowns is determining where the source of inflammation or intrinsic glutamate comes from within an individual. It may be trauma, microbial imbalances, environmental toxins, poor methylation/detoxification, metals, chronic microglial activation, underlying infections, etc. Still, the common denominator between all of these is excess glutamate.  So if one makes progress by reducing their glutamate load by removing processed sources of glutamate but still struggling, I believe they must dig deeper to help resolve the root of the inflammation and excess intrinsic glutamate signaling.

For many, it’s not just about reducing sources of free glutamate from the diet. For example, those struggling with significant gut issues will start to see the most benefits from the diet once they begin to balance their diet. Proper nutrition alone will help to lower glutamate levels and offer neuroprotection from excess glutamate.   Diet needs to be balanced, and fiber fermentation (as opposed to protein fermentation, carbohydrate fermentation, etc.) needs to be maintained in the gut to decrease damaging pathogens, metabolites, glutamate, and inflammation. Like everything else, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and depending on which pathogens you may be struggling with, it may be best to work your way to a higher-fiber diet slowly. According to Dr. Reid, many microbial pathogens in the gut create additional glutamate and will start to utilize glutamate as their food/energy source, allowing them to proliferate. I believe for many, the vast majority of excess glutamate comes from diet and/or a byproduct of metabolites found within the microbiome, and this step should not be overlooked. The number of glutamate receptors (therefore glutamate sensitivity) will continue to decrease as glutamate levels are lowered, thus allowing the brain and gut to heal.

In addition to diet, glutamate is signaled in response to inflammation and immune activation.  As we know, underlying CNS infections, metals, brain damage, stroke, etc., all increase the cyclical glutamate/inflammation/immune activation problem. So, if one has exposure to a prolonged infection (Strep, Lyme, etc.), the body will increase glutamate signaling as part of its response to the infection. According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, glutamate causes the damage, not necessarily the virus or inflammation-although they both increase glutamate. Vice versa, high levels of glutamate trigger inflammation and immune activation (cytokine cascade). It’s like they build upon each other, making things worse and worse. The higher glutamate gets, the worse things are. Likewise, if one suffers a developmental regression following vaccination, it may be due to the high levels of glutamate produced by an immune response and microglial activation.  ‘This prolonged increased glutamate signaling can make cells sensitive to glutamate where it takes less glutamate to induce a response compared to an individual with regulated ‘non-stress’ glutamate signaling response. Some can regulate back to ‘normal’ once the perceived invader is gone. However, some cells can take a long time not to be sensitive (chronically in stress response) once the stressor is gone.’-Dr. Reid. Certain metals, including aluminum and mercury, act the same way. They increase glutamate and enhance the neurotoxicity of glutamate, all while glutamate increases the neurotoxicity of the metal. So, whether one does chelation, antibiotics, herbs, footbaths, homeopathy, etc., I believe they all work to lower glutamate to some extent. Perhaps the connection to the reduction of symptoms is due to their ability to reduce inflammation, immune activation, and excess glutamate. The following quotes have been pulled from this video by Dr. Russell Blaylock.  Some sections may be paraphrased.

  • “Glutamate/excitotoxicity plays a central role in viral CNS diseases. Most viruses don’t directly damage the brain; they cause the brain to activate its glutamate receptors, its immune receptors, and cytokine receptors. This is actually what does the damage, not the virus. For example, you have no damage if you block glutamate receptors in measles encephalitis. This is a major mechanism of Lyme disease.”
  • “Some pesticides now cause microglial activation causing the release of excitotoxins” (glutamate).
  • “You can block mercury toxicity in the brain (at lower levels) just by blocking glutamate receptors. Much of the damage is done by overstimulation of glutamate receptors.”
  • “Over half of the all neuro-transmissions in the brain are from glutamate receptors- exceeding all other neurotransmitters together.”
  • “Glutamate receptors regulate other neurotransmitters-serotonin, dopamine, etc.”
  • “When mitochondria are dysfunctional, it dramatically increases the sensitivity to excitotoxicity/glutamate. Anything that lowers mitochondrial function greatly magnifies excitotoxicity. Even normal levels of glutamate will become neurotoxic if the mitochondria are dysfunctional.”
  • “The inflammatory cascade-the cytokines inhibit the glutamate transporter. The purpose of this is to bind the free glutamate into the astrocyte, which makes it harmless (GABA). You must keep the extracellular levels (of glutamate) extremely low.”
  • “Immunoexcitotoxicity triggers excitotoxicity through cytokines or reactive elements to induce inflammation of the brain.”
  • “Many of these glutamate receptors work by cross-talking with inflammatory cytokine receptors. Pro-inflammatory cytokines enhance the activity of glutamate receptors.”
  • “Glutaminase- converts glutamine into glutamate and increases the brain level of glutamate and can cause excitotoxicity alone.”
  • “Glutamate and inflammatory cytokines inhibit mitochondrial energy production and mitochondrial migration.”

Here are some additional fun facts…

  • The more intelligent you are, the more glutamate receptors you have. Therefore, the more sensitive you are to glutamate. It has been said that glutamate pools in certain areas of the brain (often due to inflammation) you will see higher intelligence in that area of the brain.
  • Glyphosate (found in GMOs) disrupts the body’s ability to metabolize glutamate.
  • When glutamate levels are high, glutathione levels are suppressed, impairing methylation.
  • Aluminum tremendously increases the neurotoxicity of glutamate. Glutamate also has aluminum binding capacities that can act to hold aluminum in the system.
  • All vaccines contain free glutamate- either as an added ingredient used to stabilize a vaccine (i.e., MSG, hydrolyzed protein) or as a byproduct of the processing.
  • The toxins associated with yeast send a surge in glutamate
  • Many pathogens and viruses, like streptococcus, thrive in a glutamate-rich environment
  • Glutamate activates mast cells, which release histamine in return
  • Glutamate inhibits the natural production of melatonin
  • Glutamate induces oxidative stress, which is an endogenous producer of oxalate
  • When folate isn’t utilized, it breaks down into glutamate
  • The developing brain is 4xs more sensitive to glutamate, and excess glutamate can change the brain’s “wired” if the first few years of life
  • Free glutamate will cross the placental barrier
  • Many microbial pathogens in the gut can secrete glutamate, and other microbes will start to utilize glutamate as their energy source, allowing them to increase.

 

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