Is MSG Bad and Should You Avoid it?

Do you like fast food or pre-packaged food? If you do, did you know MSG is almost always an added ingredient? MSG is a highly controversial and debated topic that has had many countries banning the use of it, but why?


To answer this, the first question is what is MSG? Well MSG is short for monosodium glutamate which is a widely used food additive.  MSG is a sodium salt of glutamate which is widely found in nature in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken and cheese³. It was first discovered by a Japanese scientist who extracted glutamate from seaweed. From here he discovered how adding it to his food increased the flavor, specifically for savoury and meaty tastes². These flavors became more popular and quickly became a main additive to foods. However, when additives become so widely used society starts looking for what problems are occurring because of the increased usage. 

These questions also became more relevant when people started reporting feeling nauseous, developing headaches, numbness and inflammation after eating foods containing MSG. Specifically, after people ate at Chinese Restaurants³. This led to what was known as the “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” because Chinese food uses a lot of MSG to enhance its flavoring. With these reports led to studies being done to see the health effects MSG can have. After several studies, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies declared that MSG was ok for us in foods¹. However, if this is the case why have some countries banned the use of MSG? This is because even though the studies did show that MSG does not have adverse health effects it can still have negative effects. This is seen largely with people who are sensitive to MSG similarly to how caffeine or chocolate can cause headaches, nausea, ect¹.  


Therefore, with the question of is MSG safe to use or avoid? The answer is yes MSG is safe, but similarly to most things’ moderation is key.





Reference:



¹Lupien, J and Walker, R. The Safety Evaluation of Monosodium Glutamate. The Journal of Nutrition [Online]. 2000, 130, 4, p 1049S-1052S. https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/130/4/1049S/4686675 (Accessed Feb. 1, 2019)



²Methven, L. Natural Food and Beverage Flavour Enhancer. In Natural Food Additives, Ingredients and Flavourings. Woodhead Publishing. 2012; p 76-99. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781845698119500049  (Accessed Fe. 2, 2019)



³U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Question and Answers on Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). (2012) FDA.  https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingredients/ucm328728.htm (Accessed Feb. 1, 2019)