What Is Monosodium Glutamate?

by Shereen Jegtvig

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer used in a variety of processed foods, restaurant cooking and even at home.  MSG enhances your ability to experience the umami flavor, which is the savory flavor found in protein-rich foods like fish, meats and milk.  But the use of MSG has become controversial.  Depending on your point of view, Monosodium Glutamate may be anything from a valuable flavor enhancer to a dangerous neurotoxin.Since MSG enhances the flavor of protein-rich foods, it may be beneficial for people who don’t have strong appetites or who have lost some of their sense of taste.   Using MSG can help improve the taste perception in the elderly, many of whom suffer from malnutrition because they no longer enjoy eating.  For those of us with normal tastebuds, the MSG adds to the intensity of the flavor.

Why Is MSG Controversial?

Glutamate, the amino acid found in MSG, functions as a neurotransmitter in the brain and in other glutamate-sensitive tissues.  Eating protein-rich foods containing glutamate does not cause cell damage, but some experts believe the free glutamate in MSG is an excitotoxin that can overstimulate the nervous system.

There were many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to MSG in the 1980s and early 1990s.  In 1995, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology studied the effects of MSG and concluded that people with severe asthma and those who are intolerant of MSG could suffer adverse reactions when exposed to large amounts of MSG in their diet.

• The reactions usually reported include:

• Headache

• Flushing

• Sweating

• Nausea

• Numbness, tingling or burning in or around the mouth

• Weakness

• Rapid heat beat

• Chest pain

• Shortness of breath

The reactions to MSG are usually mild, although some people claim their symptoms are more severe.  It can be difficult to pin the reactions directly on MSG because many people experience the adverse affects several hours after eating.  It may be that the symptoms are coincidental with the use of MSG rather than caused by it.

What the FDA has to say about MSG

The US Food and Drug Administration states that MSG is safe in the amounts typically found in our diets.  However, people who cannot tolerate MSG might have reactions (called the MSG symptom complex) within one hour after eating 3 grams or more of MSG on an empty stomach.  A typical serving of MSG-laden food would normally contain less than 0.5 grams, so it takes a lot of food to reach that point.

Under current FDA regulations, MSG must be identified as “monosodium glutamate” in the label’s ingredient list.  If you feel you’re sensitive to MSG you can avoid it fairly easily when you shop for foods in the grocery stores.  If you dine out frequently, you can ask if MSG is used in the meals.

To save yourself some time at the store, you can use our FoodEssentials database to find foods that are MSG free.  Here are a few examples:

MSG Free Canned Meat

MSG Free Canned Meals – Beef Stew & Chili

MSG Free Seasoning – Chicken Seasoning

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