What is MSG?
MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a popular seasoning and flavor enhancer; it is the purest form of umami, the fifth taste. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is widely used to intensify and enhance umami flavors in sauces, broths, soups, and many other foods.
It is a salt bound to glutamic acid, an amino acid, and it is naturally present in our bodies.
It can also be used as a partial replacement for salt, containing only one-third of the sodium, and is classified as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization.
Originally mainly associated with Asian cuisines, MSG (monosodium glutamate) is now used worldwide to bring out the delicious flavor of food.
It all began in 1968 when a doctor wrote an informal article stating that he felt a hangover-like effect when eating Chinese food. He never mentioned MSG, and no research was involved. But it went viral, long before the Internet, and the damage was never corrected.
Massively relayed by “natural” health websites and media, the supposed toxicity of additives numbered between E620 and E625 has become deeply ingrained in the public’s collective consciousness. Many people believe MSG is harmful or that it can cause headaches, unfortunately nicknamed the “Chinese restaurant syndrome” because many restaurants use it.
However, a large American study published in 2000 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology showed that this was certainly unfounded.
First of all, glutamate is naturally present in many foods, such as tomatoes, certain cheeses (parmesan, roquefort…), or soy. Doritos, Pringles, chicken soup, and even Campbell’s noodles are among the many foods rich in MSG—so if you can eat them, you are not allergic to MSG. In fact, we consume it without even knowing.
The fact is that scientists have not been able to prove a link between MSG and health problems. When people who believe they are allergic are brought into a lab and fed foods containing normal amounts of MSG or a placebo, there is no reaction to either.
That’s why food writer Jeffrey Steingarten once famously wrote an essay titled “Why Doesn’t Everyone in China Have a Headache?”
Here’s what an independent group of scientists and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say about MSG: it’s safe. Their report states: “An average adult consumes about 13 grams of glutamate each day from protein in food, while added MSG intake is estimated at about 0.55 grams per day. The only credible research showing harm was when it was consumed in very large amounts on an empty stomach.”
In 2017, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) re-evaluated the safety of glutamates as food additives. They set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg per kg of body weight per day. Up to this dose, glutamate consumption is considered safe.
No scientific study has demonstrated intolerance to monosodium glutamate. Such effects are more likely due to allergic reactions to common food allergens in Chinese cuisine (shrimp, peanuts, etc.).
Furthermore, MSG is a flavor enhancer: this means it tends to increase the desire to eat. It can therefore contribute to a dependence on industrial foods. There is no major risk associated with consuming moderate amounts of MSG. Nevertheless, caution is advised for those consuming it in excessive quantities.
Skeptical? Try this experiment: Take two steaks and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of MSG on one of them before cooking. Make a small cut on the edge of that steak so you know it’s the one with MSG. Use nothing else but salt. Then, ask someone to give you a taste of each steak without telling you which is which. I bet you’ll have no trouble telling them apart—and that you’ll prefer the MSG steak.
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