By now everyone has heard of the controversial debate surrounding MSG – whether or not is it harmful to eat. Without all the information easy to find on the internet, it can be difficult to truly answer this question.
Figure 1. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) shown in chemical form. (Image Source)
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the salt version of an amino acid. Amino acids are molecules in your body that bond together to create proteins. They are also known as the building blocks of life.
Why does MSG taste so good? It uses the fifth taste sense called umani. The amino acid section of MSG is detected by this taste bud, and tricks your mind into thinking the food tastes heartier and more savory. Because of this, MSG is used as a food additive in many restaurants, most commonly in Chinese food.
Figure 2. A Chinese restaurant, typically associated with the use of MSG. (Image Source)
MSG was thought to create short term symptoms when eaten such as heart palpitations, general weakness, and numbness around the face and neck. These symptoms were previously known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, because the symptoms generally arose after eating in Chinese restaurants, places known to use this additive. Restaurants were told to promote that they did not use MSG, and the public were encouraged by the media to avoid it.
However, most studies done have reported no correlation between the symptoms and the use of MSG. Experiments on both humans and monkeys showed that when given MSG or not, the two groups would still experience the same symptoms on average. The only case where some individuals would respond badly, was when they were fed three grams of MSG or more with no food (an average person would only consume 0.55 grams of added MSG in a day in real life). Because of the unlikeliness of this situation, it wasn’t seen to prove any of the negative correlations.
Figure 3. Caption of a Chinese Restaurant stating no MSG is added. (Image Source)
Even the FDA, while approving the need to label food if it contains MSG, state that it is “generally recognized as safe”. There is no direct evidence yet for a link between MSG and the negative symptoms it has been associated with.
So, why then do so many people believe that it is bad? This is because the media controls a large portion of the general public’s knowledge. We need to find new ways to form a connection between the public and science, to give people unbiased knowledge of new research. With this connection and availability of information, the public would be able to understand both views of the controversy and form their own opinions.
Author: Thryn Irwin
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