Behind the Controversy – Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

FDA you gonna support finding of that cabal of liars

as usual the problem isnt to do with naturally occuring msg its to do with the man made version, i like the stuff my chinese tastes good with it, my wife has a reaction to it every time.I generally dont take a word of what any government study findings say they lie to us all the time, you just have to hope you fit into the general percentile and dont fall outside it.

Actually, glutamate used in food is naturally made always. It is just extracted by man. (Fermentation is a natural process.) This is a good example of how ignorance and hypochondria can cause such stress as to make a person to have real symptoms. A good test is to drink a product such as milk, and see if she has the same response (assuming she isn't lactose intolerant also).

One of my friends used to be on a huge anti MSG kick a couple years ago and got me starting to think about it. For a while I would try to avoid MSG foods such as Doritos but when it comes down to it, almost all packaged food has flavor additives, preservatives, and coloring dyes. (Some of which are probably much worse than MSG)

So basically you would have to either shop only at organic markets or give up hope on cleansing your body of these toxins.

Ideally I would like to see the food companies remove some of this stuff from their foods but I'm not holding my breath.

Kudos for trying. Also remember that many additives and preservatives can also be called other things. For example: MSG can also hide under the name of 'hydrolyzed protein'. The only way to escape from additives and preservatives these days is to be a farmer, and that isn't an easy task by any means. Also, a lot of products boast that they are organic, but make sure you are using a reputable brand/look at the ingredients list. There are some nasty things that can get hidden in ingredients list if you don't look close enough. Labeling on packages can be very misleading.

As long as people keep eating junky products, the less likely food companies will change their product. Good thing that you aren't holding your breath!

Good summary charts. I like. Good answer.

The symptoms I get are nausea and occationally stomach cramps if I eat a lot of foods that have MSG in it. I also metabolize sugar very slowly, and if I eat a lot of sugar at one time, I get the same symptoms. Since MSG appears to be made of the same stuff, maybe, just maybe, there is a connection.

Monosodium glutamate and sucrose are distinctly different. However, your body might not make the distinction during some metabolic stage. Since sucrose partially hydrolyzes into glucose and fructose in water, the issue of high blood sugar (glucose) could be an issue, and you may have an early onset of diabetes, which is actually a physiological defect (though admittedly minor given modern medicine and technologies). you should probably explain to your doctor these symptoms.

All I can say is: WOW! That's a lot of stuff. I emailed this to my home email to read and let my wife see this.

I went through 18 months of severe allergy to MSG (35 years ago). The symptoms were sprung on me suddenly at a meeting with NASA right after we all ate at MING'S restaurant in the Bay Area. I tried to get by with just rest in my motel, but had to get to the ER fast, where they diagnosed "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome". You don't want to hear the extent of the symptoms, but it was simialr to really bad food poisoning. They gave me two shots ( one was not enough), which reduced the nausia to a level that allowed me to sleep. Twenty four hours later I was back to work.

I had to carry the "antidote" with me for 18 months, and had to use it at venues all over the northern hemisphere. Every restaurant will say "we don't use it", but few can guarantee that!

I had been on the Atkins diet for a full year before all this happened. I stopped the allergy by going OFF the Atkins diet. My own diagnosis is that I had a bad case of Ketone Poisoning from burning so much fat, and this caused the severe reaction to MSG.

Wow, bwire, I gave you a good answer after all that info! I have done some research before, and am very suspicious if it.

Hi Jaxy - Thanks for blogging on this - very interesting topic.

I'm a life-long Chinese food lover, and have heard for a long time about the "dark-ingredients" in Chinese food - they extend well beyond MSG. It's great to see the ignorance de-bunked.

I had always heard MSG caused neurological problems because of its chemical makeup, but it seems this tasty additive might have gotten a bad-wrap from some poorly-produced, non-organic MSG products of the 70's.

It was also interesting to learn from you today that the practice of using MSG as a Chinese-food additive came from China itself, and wasn't an American adaptation for a local audience, like the Fortune Cookie was.

As long as the Chinese producers of the natural ingredients used to make MSG imported to the U.S. are using safe food production practices, I don't think I'd have a problem eating Chinese food made with MSG.

But the melamine scare - and the peanut scare here in the U.S. - do get me a little worried. I heard recently that the responsible folks for melamine deaths of Chinese infants got the death penalty for their unforgivable manufacturing behavior. I think with more U.S. food inspections inside China - like the Japanese already do for their food imported from China - I'd feel better about consuming imported Chinese MSG.

Thanks for letting me share this.

- Larry

Please forgive a slight or lack of eloquence

Seems a clear and present danger. What is required for our appointed watch guards to respond???

Generally the rules permit only a small quantity of any chemical if thought to be dangerous in food etc.. But if the chemical is used in such profusion we should address it differently Ya Think!

I think the accountability wand needs to be waved not only in the financial sector!

Do we really need artificially colors and flavors/flavor enhancers in our food at all?

I am all for getting rid of all artificial colors and flavors--period. By accepting these we are allowing the food processors to essentially lie to us about what we eat. Does anyone really think that is an acceptable practice?

Long term we will just get more lies leading to more dangers if this is continues to be allowed.

Shame on the FDA for allowing this.

Your comments and sources of information show a total lack of understanding of SYNTHETIC MSG. Synthetic MSG is NOT a naturally occurring chemical and is reported to have carcinogenic chemicals within its makeup. It causes divesting physical and psychological effects to those sensitive to it. It is reported by several sources to do extensive damage to everyone, not just those sensitive to it. To understand real unbiased medical research go to http://www.ispub.com/journal/the_internet_journal_of_urology/volume_5_number_2_41/article/histological_studies_of_the_effects_of_monosodium_glutamate_on_the_testis_of_adult_wistar_rats.html. Articles that boost its safety are sponsored by those selling it or including it in their products. Cutting salt and sugar is not for the consumers benefit, it saves the producer millions of dollars in salt and sugar. You can also learn more at about the negative side of MSG at Http://healthylife.rmtrain.com.

The people complaining about MSG have seen first hand the damage it can cause to adults and children. They have nothing to gain financially from it being banned. It is estimated that over 70% or all food manufactured has synthic MSG. If synthetic MSG is so good for us why is it hidden under numerous names and the broad title Artifical Flavorings or Artificial Ingredients. Everyone proudly boost about viteman C and iron or calcium fortification. And why do manufactures keep mentioning naturally occuring MSG when the synthetic is not the same thing.

Supporting the belief that MSG is healthy is damaging the health of families across the United States. Campbell's, Progresso and a number of other manufactures are not dropping MSG because they are good guys, they are losing market share because people are refusing to accept synthetic MSG.

You can find on-line You-Tube videos on the dangers of synthetic MSG from acknowledge health advocates and Doctors trying to expose its hazards. It is strange the orginal article only found the positive supporting evidence on MSG.

Finally, who wants to be chemically manipulated. Synthetic MSG forces the brain to think something is good when it is not. We have taste buds for a reason to let our body know what it is ingesting and if it is in danger or satisfying a need. Synthetic MSG short circuits that process and instigates an unrealistic desire for more.

There is a strong public outcry for healthy food that is unfunded and the food producers fighting for profit and not focused on the consumer. I expect in the end like Campbell's Soup and Progresso they all will see the light. Without customers there is not profit. Consumers cannot afford or need lobbyist, they can vote with their money and what they buy or in this case do not buy.