New: YouTube
video of Faith, a girl who was hospitalized due to
A-Fib triggered by MSG reaction.
Taurine is the body's heartbeat regulator. Deficiency states can be induced by
MSG because glutamate competes in the body with another
sulfur-containing amino acid - cysteine.
The body uses cysteine to make taurine - another
sulfur-containing amino acid used as a neurotransmitter. A major complaint of MSG symptom
complex sufferers is irregular, fast heartbeats, - atrial fibrillation. The
same symptom also occurs from taurine deficiency.
See the following link for an excellent summary of data about the amino acid taurine:
http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/taurine_chmr.htm
It is also interesting to note that MSG is a well known to induce epileptic seizures,
and taurine is found to be low in individuals with seizures. See our page on MSG and epilepsy.
Due to the genetic cause of autism being linked to
glutamate receptor and transport genes, it now makes sense why some autistic
children have atrial fib episodes as well as epilepsy. In some
autistic children, there is an inborn error of metabolism when dealing with
sulphur-containing compounds. Taurine is one of the sulphur-containing
amino acids used as a neurotransmitter.
It is possible that a child who has a defiency of
taurine from this common inborn error of metabolism, would be at risk of
both an epileptic seizure, and atrial fibrillation as well as digestive
problems due to problems forming bile. It would be interesting to find
out if children with both autism and A-fib (Timothy Syndrome) also suffer
epileptic episodes and digestive distress due to taurine deficiency from
this same error of metabolism.
It would be interesting to find out if these autistic
children or adults with A-Fib but not autism, would be helped by simple
supplementation with taurine since the body may have trouble making it.