Why should you be scared of MSG?

There is one reason one needs to be concerned about the MSG or monosodium glutamate making the headlines in India is that things that are perfectly safe to consume can be demonised for no logical reason.

The recent issue around the excess levels of MSG and lead in Nestle’s Maggi, which had become a generic terms for any easy-to-cook noodles, has made people curious about the ‘harms’ of MSG. But if one takes a detailed look at the various research around MSG, one can safely say that MSG is safe to consume, and US Food and Drug Administration agrees.

Why we use MSG?

Generally, it is believed that there four kinds of taste — bitter, sweet, salty, and sour, but there is a lesser known fifth kind of taste — umami. MSG itself is tasteless but it is used in Asian cuisine to enhance the umami flavour. Wikipedia describes umami as a “pleasant ‘brothy’ or ‘meaty’ taste with a long lasting, mouthwatering and coating sensation over the tongue.” The use of this flavour can be traced back to ancient Japan and Romans.

Why it is considered bad?

The first evidence of MSG as harmful substance can be traced back to a study published in Science where they tested the relationship between consumption of Chinese cuisines and complaints of headache and other unpleasant sensation. The constellation of symptoms were termed as ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’ (CSR). Though the study did find a correlation, there was no way to determine whether MSG was the cause. Moreover, since the study was not blinded and there were no followups to the study, so a definite causal link could not be established.

The issue of MSG was taken up in a big way by Dr Joe Mercola wherein he published an article terming MSG as a “silent killer”. Mercola claimed that that MSG overexcites nerve cells to the “point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees — and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.” It is important to note that Dr Mercola has been warned by US FDA on a number of occasions for making misleading claims and fear mongering.

What science says?

Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant amino acids in the diet that is found naturally in protein-containing foods such as meat, vegetables and dairy products, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, potatoes, mushrooms, and other vegetables and fruits.

A study published in 2006 which tried to determine MSG sensitivity among population could not determine any link between CSR and consumption of MSG. The study concluded, “Clinical trials have failed to identify a consistent relationship between the consumption of MSG and the constellation of symptoms that comprise the syndrome. The study also stated, “MSG has been described as a trigger for asthma and migraine headache exacerbations, but there are no consistent data to support this relationship. Although there have been reports of an MSG-sensitive subset of the population, this has not been demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials.”

Another large, multicenter, double-blind study determined that people who believe that they are sensitive to MSG might elicit some symptoms compared to placebo, but the symptoms were low and inconsistent. Moreover, when MSG is consumed with food, the subject did not elicit any symptoms. The study says, “Challenges in subjects who reported adverse reactions to MSG have included relatively few subjects and have failed to show significant reactions to MSG.”

The most emphatic response came from a study published in 2010 which stated, “Glutamate is one of the most intensely studied food ingredients in the food supply and has been found safe, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization placed it in the safest category for food additives. Despite a widespread belief that glutamate can elicit asthma, migraine headache and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS), there are no consistent clinical data to support this claim.”

Conclusion

It can be safely assumed that MSG is not a harmful additive and the fear mongering around is not warranted. The side effects turns out to be is mostly anecdotal where correlation is often confused with causation. In short, people tend to blame some adverse reaction to food eaten in a Chinese restaurant but conveniently forget the amount of times they have consumed soy sauce in another restaurant without any untoward incident.

So go ahead and add MSG to your food without any concerns. And if one is actually sensitive to MSG, then it is no doubt advisable to avoid it but there is no reason to ruin it for others.