Monosodium Glutamate - What is MSG and Should We Be Scared of It?
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive often used as a ‘flavour enhancer' in fast food, snack foods, tinned and frozen food. Why is MSG used so much, and is it bad for you?
Glutamate and the umami taste
Glutamate is an amino acid - one of the building blocks of the proteins found in all our cells and all the food we eat. When glutamate is not incorporated into proteins, it is known as free glutamate, and in this state it has some interesting properties. For one, it is responsible for the unique taste known as ‘umami', which roughly translates from Japanese as ‘savoury'.
The umami taste was first described in 1909 by a Japanese scientist, who isolated glutamate as the source of the unique taste, from dried seaweed. Dried seaweed has the umami taste because it is naturally high in glutamate, along with other foods including parmesan cheese, dried mushrooms and ripe tomatoes.
The idea of using glutamate as a food seasoning was born, and to make it convenient to use, it was manufactured as a stable white powder - monosodium glutamate. This powder is sold under names including ‘Ajinomoto', Ac'cent' and ‘Gourmet Powder' - you can find it in Chinese supermarkets in the UK.
Monosodium glutamate is found in many processed foods
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that adding MSG powder to something like soup improves the taste and texture - when compared to an identical soup without added glutamate. MSG is therefore an easy and convenient way to improve the flavour of any food, and is used a lot in processed food.
The glutamate added to foods may go under a different name, however. Added glutamate may be described as E621, glutamic acid, autolysed yeast extract or sodium caseinate, for example. MSG may also be included under vague descriptions such as ‘seasonings' or ‘hydrolysed protein'. The yeast extract in Marmite contains high levels of glutamate.
Is MSG bad for you?
The potential ill-effects caused by MSG were first described in a medical journal as ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome'. Symptoms including numbness and palpitations were reported shortly after visiting a Chinese restaurant. Such claims have never been specifically linked to MSG however, and could be due to common allergies to ingredients like peanuts and shellfish.
MSG has been linked to many conditions including migraines, asthma, depression and Alzheimer's, but has never been isolated as a cause. Huge amounts of MSG have been fed to humans without causing ill-effects, and MSG is considered a safe additive by every government which tests these things.
Feeding excess glutamate to rats has caused some problems, including retinal damage, but only after feeding them massive amounts of MSG, much more than would ever be consumed by a human.
An ‘international team of experts' met in early 2007 to review the current knowledge of MSG safety, and concluded that MSG was ‘harmless for the whole population' (Consensus Meeting on monosodium glutamate, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition). They agreed that there was no new evidence (since their last meeting in 1997) that certain individuals reacted badly to MSG.
Glutamate is an important chemical in the brain, and there is the potential for neurological effects if very high levels of glutamate reached the brain. However, the ‘blood-brain' barrier effectively prevents this, and problems in rats have only occurred if massive amounts of MSG are given. The group did comment that people with some illnesses have a compromised blood-brain barrier, and the effect of this on brain glutamate levels is unknown.
All the evidence suggests that consuming normal amounts of added glutamate cause no ill-effects. However, it is possible that certain people could be particularly sensitive to glutamate, and if problems are linked to MSG-containing foods they may want to cut their intake of these foods.
The good news about MSG
Many people don't like the idea of MSG being added to their food, as it may be used to cover up poor ingredients, and it may stimulate the appetite. It is not clear whether any appetite-stimulating effect is actually due to effects on the ‘appetite centre' of the brain, or whether MSG increases appetite because it makes food taste better. MSG has been proposed as a good way of encouraging elderly people to eat when they have lost their appetite.
Adding glutamate may also have health benefits, as it reduces the need for added salt. According to the chef Heston Blumenthal, the umami taste adds ‘depth and strength' top the flavour of a dish. However, you can easily ‘add umami' to a dish by adding glutamate-rich ingredients such as parmesan cheese or soy sauce, rather than MSG powder.
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Date Added: Thursday 12th November 2009
"If you're going to tell me that MSG, or anything else, is harmless, I expect to see verifiable citations, and/or links to the supporting research. All we have in this article is unsupported opinion no more - and no less - valid than anyone else's opinion in this thread."
Ron Graves.
Date Added: Sunday 8th November 2009
"Every time I have ANYTHING with MSG in it, I have sickness and diahorrea. Also I am a migraine sufferer which, from your article, appears to be linked. I think it should be banned!"
AM
Date Added: Thursday 10th September 2009
"I had a bad experience at a chinese restaurant a year ago - fainted, sick, the lot. Consequently off chinese food, which I loved. I asked my local Chinese takeaway why they used so much, and they told me they could cook for me without msg, I only had to ask! Tastes better too!!!"
Christine
Date Added: Thursday 27th August 2009
"type2 diabetes sugar levels rise 100 per cent "
samuel dunne
Date Added: Friday 7th August 2009
"it took ages to work out it was msg taht made me feel so ill, and to see theres loads in mushrooms, cheese n toms, n marmite which is yeast based, all of which i have an intolerance to. found this out when i had a sensitivity test done at holland n barretts, cost 45£ about 10 years ago, best money ive ever spent, i thought i had m.e., but was eating stuff htat didnt agree with me. cut it all out, spent 3 days off the planet, ten days coming back again, and am rarely ill now. i would recommend the test to every one, my daughter had one done n she is also sensitive to loads of stuff. seems to get rid of depression also. the worst one for me is artificial sweeteners, foam at the mouth, halucinate, the works!! PHONE HOLLAND N BARRETT SEE IF THEY STILL DO SENSITIVITY TESTS, ITS WORTH IT!!!!"
janet watson
Date Added: Monday 3rd August 2009
"very interesting information and very informative.thanks."
fsteven
Date Added: Tuesday 26th May 2009
"mis-information"
bob george
Date Added: Thursday 7th May 2009
"whilst abroard in 2001, I had an anaphalactic reaction which turned out to be due to monosodium glutamate, this was found through subsequent tests,I have since made sure I dont have it in my diet, which is a pain as this ingredient is in such a lot of food and I did like chinese food. there is no need to put this in food, so why do we do it! "
julie Farrell
Date Added: Tuesday 21st April 2009
"I saw am article on msg on another website, which scared me a little, as checking my food stocks everthing from ham, cup-a-soups and most items contain this ingrediant. This other websight called it the silent killer. so to be sure I checked at random and I was relieved that all he said had been investigated and I am now reassured that it is a safe product. "
Malcolm Cadey
Date Added: Tuesday 31st March 2009
"I have had so many problems with the so called 'chinese restaurant syndrome'. not long after eating at several different Chinese restaurants, i found myself with a swollen and rashy face and extreme nausea, so bad i was hospitalized. i've never eaten at a Chinese restaurant or take away since and i have been told by many doctors that it was due to the high content of MSG. :( how annoying, i love chinese food so much too :("
ryan allen
Date Added: Tuesday 31st March 2009
"Flavour enhancers are only necessary if the natural qualities of a product's ingredients are diminished. Old faint-smelling spice becomes smelling like fresh and brings profit. It's something to fool a consumer. That should not be tolerated. The price must be lowered if producers had to "enhance" their food."
Karol
Date Added: Tuesday 31st March 2009
"Just like there is a significant minority allergic to peanuts, & peanut products, it doesn't mean peanuts are dangerous or poisonous to normal people. Billions woof down lots of MSG every day with no ill effects. I use MSG a lot, & cooked for a lot of people/events, yet nobody has ever fallen ill after eating my stuff. Just like the minority who allergic to peanut products, if you are sensitive to MSG you should avoid it. But don't call peanuts, peanut butter, & MSG poison, & take it away from everybody else. There will always be some food that won't agree with a a few, or that they are allergic to, that are fine & possibly healthy to most of the population. Then there are some who aren't sensitive to normal amounts of MSG, but the cook got carried away or careless & used way too much. I think nobody ever fell ill eating my stuff is I use just enough, & not too much so it drowns out the natural food tastes, & leaves an after taste."
VJJ
Date Added: Thursday 19th March 2009
"Every time I eat out at a restaurant serving oriental food, I feel flushed and pulse rate increases Once after eating a soup with prawns in Singapore,I woke up a few hours later and everyone asked me what was wrong looking at me. I felt dazed,unsteady, disorientated and a doctor admitted me to hospital. On arrival I had extremely high BP and was treated and returned home after a few days.Am I allergic to MSG? I put down my high BP to an excess of MSG accidentally added due to the cooks hurry to serve as many as possible and did not look at the quantity he added as this was a fast food place. Am I right?"
Nestor
Date Added: Thursday 26th February 2009
"thanks for this information, it was really helpful "
saj
Date Added: Monday 2nd February 2009
"who is the author of this article?"
april
Date Added: Wednesday 7th January 2009
"Thanks for the valuable information."
sk
Date Added: Thursday 18th December 2008
"Hmm, I lived in Japan for ages and never had any problems. It's such a healthy and long-lived country and there's MSG in most things."
saru
Date Added: Tuesday 25th November 2008
"thank you for the information about MSG, Thank you!"
josh draven
Date Added: Wednesday 12th November 2008
"the truth is that MSG is not proven safe regardless of what the FDA or and beureucratic instution says otherwise. It seems quite likey that hiding MSG with other words like "natural flavors" , is a clear attempt to hide the real truth about it. It is a neurotoxin poised to kill Neurons. We get headaches because MSG goes in to the bloodstream and begins the process of uptake in the brain. Therefore, the brain is not used to this toxin and reacts. Very simple to understand. also don't drink Fluoride, I beg you."
K
Date Added: Thursday 6th November 2008
"thankyou very much, this information was very helpful!"
nicky
Date Added: Saturday 25th October 2008
"I had an unfortunate experience in a London Chinese restaurant recently. Their food is very good quality overall, but as I had just finished eating I felt suddenly nauseous, sweating profusely and in danger of fainting. I managed to walk part way across the floor towards the toilet until I had to bend and cling to one of the chairs. I soon found myself being cradled by one of the waiters, as I came round. This was clearly MSG poisoning. I wonder how many other people have experienced this degree of MSG?"
F Davis-Burden
Date Added: Thursday 21st August 2008
"According to the US Government, I don't exist: MSG makes me ill. We should not be afraid of MSG, but we should be afraid of dangerously naive articles like this one. I am often amazed at how many websites continue to repeat mis-information provided mainly by the MSG manufacturers association (just visit their website), or by the US Government, the same one that held the official position for 200 years that smoking tobacco was not harmful to your health. Thanks to C. Everett Koop for fixing that mistake. Eventually, the fake report from FASEB notwithstanding, the truth about MSG will become clear."
MA
Date Added: Tuesday 19th August 2008
"hello. i found your page on MSG very interesting as i have been having some strange symptoms such as palpitations, headaches, numbness in my face and hands, and shortness of breath. I came to the conclusion that these syptoms were due to a food allergy so i made a note of everything i ate and when the symptoms occurred. I found that the symptoms began about five minutes after eating, certain chinese foods, cup soups, certain brands of crisps and pot noodles. I found that all these foods had one ingredient in common .. MSG. So i completely avoided all MSG containing food and the syptoms disappeared completely. Yesterday i ate a bag of MC coys crisps which contained MSG and within 5 minutes i was feeling unwell. I may have a bad reaction to the ingredient but i think that people should be warned that MSG can cause some unpleasant symtoms and further study should be made to determine how safe MSG is for human consumption. Many Thanks Yvonne Turner."
YVONNE