MSG : Why It’s Bad

Monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG, is a common food additive that is presentlly in many of our foods today.   The main purpose of MSG in foods is as a flavor enhancer.

MSG was inroduced in 1947 for use in U.S. food production.  So, MSG has been used in many different processed foods for quite a while.  MSG has been consumed by the American public for decades without any health complaints that were highly publicized.

Recently, however, MSG is being associated with a number of physical complaints and ailments.  Individual people have reported symptoms, now called MSG symptom complex, to the FDA.  The symptoms reported are flushing, sweating, headache, nausea, heart palpitations and rapid heartbeat, chest pain and weakness.   Concerns about health by the American public have associated MSG with migraine headaches, food allergies in children, hyperactivity in children, obesity and a worsening of asthma symptoms.

According to research, the FDA could not find a definite link between MSG and the symptoms reported.  They did conclude that a certain percent of the population must react negatively to MSG.

One of the theories is that certain individuals have MSG intolerance that is unique to their body chemistry.  If you feel that you are intolerant to MSG, you should avoid processed foods and fast foods.  A list of other foods to avoid if you want to limit or eliminate MSG would include prepared stocks or bouillon cubes, barbecue sauce and salad dressings, canned, frozen or dried foods, flavored jerky, flavored potato chips, flavored tortilla chips and seasoning mixtures.  Other sources of glutamate that is due to fermentation in production are also foods to avoid.  These foods to avoid include soy sauce, steak sauce and worcestershire sauce.

The FDA has, for now, found MSG to be “generally recognized as safe”, according to their research to date. They do require food manufacturers to indicate if their is MSG used as an ingredient on their food labels.  So, if you feel you react adversely to MSG, be proactive in your own health and read labels before you buy or consume food.