What is MSG and Why are We So Afraid of It?

 Written by: Kate Aragon, Dietetic Intern

Contrary to popular belief, I (as a nutrition student) don’t cook very often. I’ve always had men and women in my life who enjoyed cooking far more than I ever will and because of that, I didn’t grow up spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Regardless, food was always a big part of my culture as a Filipino-American, and just like many parts of Asia, MSG is widely used in the Philippines^[1].

My aunt would have me and my brother over for family dinners every so often, and I remember how she would try to hide the fact that she used MSG in her cooking. I was eight at the time. At 8 years old I was already given a reason to believe that this mystery ingredient, “M-S-G”, was a bad thing.

So what IS MSG?

MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is derived from the amino acid, glutamate (also known as “glutamic acid”)^[2]. Glutamate is produced by our bodies and is also a naturally-occurring compound found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and seaweed.

MSG as we know it today, is a flavor-enhancer first discovered by a Japanese chemist who identified it as the dominant flavor component in kelp. When used, MSG can help to bring out the savory and umami flavor in dishes.

Why is MSG so controversial?

In the 1960s, Robert Ho Man Kwok, MD, published a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine that described a mysterious ill-feeling he would get after eating in Chinese restaurants^[3]. To no surprise, this “ill-feeling” (typically headaches, a rapid heart rate, and nausea) was eventually called “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”. And since many Chinese-American restaurants at the time were making use of MSG, Robert theorized that his symptoms were tied to that.

Shortly after, other studies tried to show that MSG was the cause of brain lesions, female sterility, and even obesity. The catch? These studies used faulty science^[4].

Many of these studies were animal experiments, and the mice experimented on were injected with such large doses of MSG that it was completely unrealistic to extrapolate their findings into human conditions⁴. But it didn’t matter. By the time the faulty science was discovered, it was too late. The findings caught everyone’s attention and the world villainized MSG. As a result of the changing diet trend, Chinese-American restaurant owners had no choice but to advertise the absence of MSG in their dishes by displaying “No MSG” signs on their restaurants’ doors to keep their businesses afloat. And soon it became common knowledge that MSG should be avoided without even questioning: 1. The faulty science behind the blame, and 2. The xenophobia tied along with it.

How is MSG used?

When asked to think about the sources of MSG, most people would probably first mention Asian-American cuisine. But, a lot of snack foods in grocery store aisles use MSG as well. For example, Doritos®, Pringles®, and Cambell’s® all use MSG and can be found in the ingredient list of several of their products^[5][6][7].

Surprised? Maybe ask yourself if you’ve ever reported a headache after eating a bag of Doritos®. If not, then maybe begin entertaining the idea that MSG (or Asian-American food in general) is NOT the culprit for your mystery headache.

(DORITOS® Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips, n.d.)

(Cambell’s®Chicken Noodle Soup, 2021)

 

(Pringles® BBQ CRISPS, n.d.)

What does science say about MSG now?

Here’s a quick list:

●        MSG is formally placed on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) list of foods that are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS)^[8]. Additionally, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) examined the safety of MSG in the 1990s and their report concluded that MSG is safe as well^[9].

●        The FASEB report identified some mild, short-term symptoms in some sensitive individuals who consume 3 grams or more of MSG without food. However, a typical serving of a food with added MSG contains less than 0.5 grams of MSG. In other words, consuming more than 3 grams of MSG without food at one time is simply unlikely and should not be an area of concern^[10].

●        Although it is possible for individuals to be “sensitive” to MSG, a 2017 meta-analysis observed that “scientists have not been able to consistently elicit reactions in double-blind studies with ‘sensitive’ individuals using MSG or placebo in food”^[11]. Meaning that, scientists were unable to consistently trigger reactions in individuals who claimed to be sensitive.

●        Several studies that highlight the adverse effects of MSG are conducted on animals, and therefore, are only relevant to those animals tested⁴. If the study in question showed an effect of MSG on rats… MSG has an effect on rats. Conclusions derived from experiments conducted on animals cannot be assumed to be true in humans.

Potential Benefits of MSG and My Final Thoughts

Did you know MSG only has about one-third of the amount of sodium compared to table salt^[12]? MSG can be helpful for those trying to reduce sodium intake, which according to the American Heart Association, should be about 90 percent of us because most Americans consume too much sodium. Perhaps by seasoning dishes with MSG, one may lessen the risk of heart disease!

Here’s a cool trick: By replacing half of the table salt in your salt shaker with MSG, you’d be able to cut the amount of salt you add when cooking without even realizing it!

Bottom line: Rather than fearing MSG as a dietary bogeyman, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate; consider its history, the xenophobia tied to its bad reputation, and its potential benefits. Perhaps it’s time to end the controversy surrounding it, and just see it for what it is -- a flavor enhancer that knows how to pack a punch.

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^[1] Germain, Thomas. "A Racist Little Hat: The MSG Debate and American Culture." Columbia Undergraduate Research Journal 2.1 (2015).

^[2] Singh, M. (2005). Fact or Fiction? The MSG Controversy.

^[3] International Glutamate Information Service. “Glutamate: The Purest Taste of Umami”.

^[4] Zanfirescu, A., Ungurianu, A., Tsatsakis, A. M., Nițulescu, G. M., Kouretas, D., Veskoukis, A., ... & Margină, D. (2019). A review of the alleged health hazards of monosodium glutamate. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety, 18(4), 1111-1134.

^[5] Pringles® BBQ CRISPS. Barbecue Pringles® Crisps | Pringles®. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.pringles.com/us/products/favorites/bbq.html.

^[6] Chicken Noodle Soup. Campbell Soup Company. (2021, September 21). Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.campbells.com/products/condensed/chicken-noodle-soup/.

^[7] DORITOS® Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips. DORITOS®. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.doritos.com/products/doritos-nacho-cheese-flavored-tortilla-chips.

^[8] Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (2018). Questions and answers on monosodium glutamate (MSG). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved September 23, 2021, from https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/questions-and-answers-monosodium-glutamate-msg.

^[9] Maluly, H. D., Arisseto‐Bragotto, A. P., & Reyes, F. G. (2017). Monosodium glutamate as a tool to reduce sodium in foodstuffs: Technological and safety aspects. Food science & nutrition, 5(6), 1039-1048.

^[10] Raiten, D. J., Talbot, J. M., & Fisher, K. D. (Eds.). (1995). Executive summary from the report: analysis of adverse reactions to monosodium glutamate (MSG). The Journal of Nutrition, 125(11), 2891S-2906S.

^[11] Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Applied Food Sciences and Tourism, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, P.M.B 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria

^[12] Halim, J., Bouzari, A., Felder, D., & Guinard, J. X. (2020). The Salt Flip: Sensory mitigation of salt (and sodium) reduction with monosodium glutamate (MSG) in “Better‐for‐You” foods. Journal of food science, 85(9), 2902-2914.