(Clarification: the one that is in soup cubes, package soups, some chips etc..)
Monosodium glutamate or
MSG is also known as
monoglutamate sodium and
sodium glutamate. It is a sodium salt of non-essential
amino acid used as a food additive and largely sold in white crystalline powder to enhance flavour usually under the trade names Ajinomoto, Vetsin and Accent. The company that makes Ajinomoto was formed in Japan in 1909 to manufacture MSG throughout its overseas branches. It still manufactures MSG in what is called Umami seasoning. One made from wheat gluten or elastic protein, the MSG is now produced by fermentation from starch, sugar beets, molasses or sugar cane. It is commercially popular as a flavour enhancer that finds its way into fast-food chains, processed foods and food stuffs. It is also found in bouillon cubes or cubes of seasoned meat extracts, some condiments including barbecue sauce, salad dressings, and dried, frozen and canned foods. MSG is also used in snack foods like the flavoured potato or tortilla chips, as well as in certain seasoning mixtures.
Despite the huge success of the MSG both as a flavour enhancer and seasoning, there are still health concerns as to its use on foods. Some of these concerns have been raised on anecdotal grounds or accounts transmitted from one person to another. One of such concerns was that MSG was related to a Symptom Complex termed as Chinese Restaurant Syndrome that, according to a report by Robert Ho Mon Kwok, told of symptoms of patients who ate American-Chinese foods. The MSG was said to be associated with symptoms of migraine headaches, obesity, food allergies and excessive activity or hyperactivity among children. In 1995, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) reported that MSG is safe when eaten at normal amounts but cautioned that it may create more symptoms if consumed in large doses, and may worsen asthmatic symptoms. In a study, neurologists have found no side effects of MSG in foods but their findings are not conclusive about sodium glutamate affecting memory and learning. This was apparently a reaction to claims that free glutamic acid is manufactured in the form of MSG for foods that can get into the brain. The dangers of free glutamic acid include the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), said to be a progressive degeneration of the brain’s motor cells that may result in Alzheimer’s disease, strokes and seizures. Alongside the health concerns are certain myths about the MSG. The
American Institute for Cancer Research has listed some of these myths and the truths behind them.
Myth 1:
The MSG as a food additive promotes many diseases, from cancer to heart disease to brain damage, with some people even calling it as the “deadly aphrodisiac.”
The truth:
Three groups—the Food and Drug Administration, American Medical Association and the National Academy of Sciences—have all declared that sodium glutamate is safe for public consumption.
Myth 2:
The MSG was responsible for the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome that included palpitations, chest pains and headaches as published in the New England Journal in 1968.
The truth:
There was no conclusive evidence linking MSG to the symptoms.
Myth 3:
MSG causes weight gain and has a harmful effect on the part of the brain that regulates food intake.
The truth:
There are no conclusive findings and if there are any, these are limited.
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