Dangerfoods: MSG
I’ll randomly start the series about dangerfoods with MSG (Monosodiumglutamate, ve-tsin, or E621 for European readers). Is it really a neurotoxin, or is it a harmless natural flavor enhancer that could help people cut back on salt?
What is MSG?
MSG makes food taste better, according to many people. The taste sensation it produces is actually a fifth basic taste (next to salt, sweet, sour and bitter): umami. According to Malcolm Gladwell umami is the proteiny, full-bodied taste of chicken soup, or cured meat, or fish stock, or aged cheese, or mother’s milk, or soy sauce, or mushrooms, or seaweed, or cooked tomato.
Probably the most significant discovery in explaining human interest in umami is that human milk contains large amounts of glutamate (at about 10 times the levels present in cow’s milk). Babies have very basic taste buds: it’s believed that mother’s milk offers two taste enhancements - sugar (as lactose) and umami (as glutamate) in the hope that one or other will get the little blighters drinking. Which means mothers’ milk and a packet of cheese’n'onion crisps have rather more in common than you’d think. [1]
What are the claims?
MSG has a bad rap among health concious people. It is said to be responsible for asthma, allergies, hyperactivity, heart disease, alzheimer, obesity and many other diseases. Just google for MSG and you’ll find plenty of scaremongering.
What is the evidence?
Normal MSG intake is about 4 grams a week.
- scientists were testing MSG and finding no evidence of harm - in one 1970 study 11 humans ate up to 147 grams of the stuff every day for six weeks without any adverse reactions.[1]
- In different trials people who perceived themselves to suffer from an increase of asthmatic symptoms after consumption of monosodium glutamate in comparison to asthmatic people that did not complain about that effect were fed with monosodium glutamate as well as with placebos. No correlation could be found between the consumption of monosodium glutamate and the occurrence of asthma attack. People reacted on monosodium glutamate in the same way as on the given placebos. Similar trials were performed with people said to be suffering from headaches, dizziness and other (neurological) problems.[2]
- People in Asia eat lots of MSG and do not seem to suffer any adverse reactions at all.
I was surprised to read how well designed those studies were. There were multiple studies on people (not rats) who reported to be sensitive to MSG.
How come some people have adverse reactions to MSG?
- People have adverse reactions to everything. Some people are allergic to strawberries, others cannot tolerate celery. There is nothing inherently toxic about strawberries and celery, though.
- Some people who think they react badly to MSG may actually react badly to other components in the food. Chinese food has a number of spices and ingredients many people do not normally use. Also: if you completely avoid MSG your diet is bound to be healthier than it was, because you will eliminate many junk foods.
- Often these problems were due to the increase of sodium and the lack of enough moisture in the body (‘hangover effect’).[2]
My conclusion
I am a hypocrite. There are many well designed studies that proof that MSG is safe. If you just look at the science salt is much more dangerous, but there are hardly any scary websites about that. I still do not use it myself though. I do not explicitly avoid it, but products with MSG often are very processed or have ingredients I do not eat (animal products, lots of fat etc.). I wonder if I should give MSG a chance. I have not yet been able to find a way to make relatively inexpensive tasty low-sodium vegan soups and MSG may be the answer.
Sources
- If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn’t everyone in Asia have a headache?
- Food-Info.net: Monosodiumglutamate E-621
jj said,
July 10, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Do you know how much sodium there is in MSG? I mean, after all, that “S” in the middle stands for sodium. Personally, I don’t worry about it too much. I try to avoid added MGS, but I am *very* fond of foods containing naturally occuring MSG (mushrooms, fermented soy and brewers yeast).
As a suggestion for your broth, have you tried Bragg’s Aminos? It adds that umami flavor, but is relatively low in sodium compared to say, soy sauce.
helena said,
July 10, 2006 at 9:55 pm
Hi JJ,
From the Glutamate Association:
MSG’s low sodium content represents a minor contribution to the overall sodium level of a typical diet. By way of comparison, MSG contains about 12 percent sodium, while table salt contains 39 percent. And, MSG is used at levels much lower than salt. Considering all sources of dietary sodium (natural sodium content of foods, table salt, sodium-containing ingredients in processed foods, drinking water, and pharmaceuticals), typical use of MSG contributes about 1 percent to 2 percent of the total sodium contained in the average daily American diet.
Taste tests have shown when the salt level in food is reduced, food acceptability decreases. However, by using a small amount of MSG in conjunction with a decreased level of salt, sodium intake can be reduced by as much as 30 percent to 40 percent, while maintaining an acceptable flavor profile.
Unfortunately (at least when it comes to health foods) I do not live in the US. Bragg’s Amino’s are not available here. We do not even have low-sodium soy sauce in this country :( I do appreciate the thought though. If other readers have suggestions for good lower sodium soups, I would love to hear them.
Kyle Key said,
July 11, 2006 at 5:07 am
Actually, Bragg’s Aminos aren’t any lower in sodium than the typical “reduced sodium” soy sauce…Bragg’s contains 5% per half teaspoon, which means 30% per tablespoon. Brands of reduced-sodium soy sauce in the U.S. that I’ve seen range from 22% to 30% per tablespoon.
Weight Loss Motivation Blog said,
July 11, 2006 at 5:10 pm
MSG is known to trigger migraine in a lot of people. More and more restaurants are using it. It is a quick cheap way to enhance flavor. However, in a lot of real Chinese cooking recipes, a good broth is used, not MSG. Good chefs take the extra efforts to prepare the broth and that is the natural way.