Ah, the famed MSG,
or Ajinomoto, as many people would know it
(although that is the brand, and so is technically incorrect).
It is widely used as a flavour-enhancer,
believed to act on glutamate receptors in the tongue
a taste known as umami, as the Ajinomoto ads will tell you.
So the question, is MSG bad for you?
The "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome"
manifested as thirst, flushing, tightness of chest,
difficulty breathing, headaches, etc.
Facts:
- Humans (including babies) can handle large doses of MSG
blood only shows small amounts after consumption of MSG
unless very large doses are
directly inserted by a tube into the stomach.
The largest dose that humans can take is 60mg/kg
any more than that, you'll experience nausea.
i.e. if you're 70kgs (weight of average person)
that's about 420mg of MSG!
In addition to the fact that it's highly unlikely
you would consume half a gram of MSG in any one sitting,
higher doses than this would also cause nausea
and force you to vomit everything out.
Thus, all the MSG will be out of your system
before it even gets a chance to hit your blood
and cause toxic effects!
If that was not enough proof,
studies have been done on people who claim they are
"sensitive" to Chinese meals due to the MSG being used
It was found that there was NO RELATIONSHIP
between Chinese Restaurant Syndrome and intake of MSG
Conclusion: In the way that we are currently using MSG,
there poses no risk of any toxicity.
If you feel any effects after a heavy Chinese meal,
it's either psychological, or the thirst is from the salt content!
Yes, high salt content WOULD make you thirsty.
So go ahead, listen to your grandmother,
and have a few extra taps on that Ajinomoto bottle! :)
but wat i know is heat would change msg molecules to sth which wil b slightly bad for body =)
ReplyDeleteanyway, MSG free food by mum is still my favourite!!
Hi Yee,
ReplyDeleteI doubt that. Glutamate is effectively glutamic acid, one of the amino acids. If ingesting glutamate after heating is bad, then cooking meat would certainly cause problems for us! Surely meat which is chock full of proteins has much more glutamate than MSG.
Although it may be true that the metabolic products of glutamate IN EXCESS may cause problems, moderation is key and I believe the small amount of MSG people usually use in cooking would not pose any toxicity.
Thanks for your feedback though, cheers! :)
The above comment is entirely innacurate biochemically (not the original story). I don't understand why anyone would feel compelled to add in a pinch of Ajinomoto. Everything they make is a neurotoxic or carcinogenic poison, like Aspartame and MSG. This is one of the biggest corporate killers on the planet! Please read this article:
ReplyDeleteAJINOMOTO, ASPARTAME & BRAIN TUMORS: RECIPE FOR DEATH!
Here is another excellent one explaining how it got approval:
Aspartame - Rumsfeld's Bioweapon Legacy
Best wishes from Stephen Fox, Founder, New Millennium Fine Art
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Hi Stephen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, and I value your comments, but as a Pharmacist-to-be, it is part of my responsibility to provide correct and scientifically-documented information to the public.
This is especially to members of the public who may have been misled by mass media or other means, such as word of mouth.
I understand where you are coming from, but regardless of the political agenda and the opinions of random article writers (Dr. or not, everyone can write articles and post them on the Net these days), I would prefer to base my opinions on hard facts.
Thus, let me direct you to some scientific articles (I'm not sure if you'd be able to access it but google it if you can't).
1) This journal excerpt states that there is NO evidence of malignancy (cancer) or whatever in mice fed with high levels (4%) of MSG for 2 years (which is a lifetime, for mice).
The dietary administration of monosodium glutamate or glutamic acid to C-57 black mice for two years
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TCR-475J65G-BX&_user=5939061&_coverDate=02%2F28%2F1979&_alid=1190761457&_rdoc=23&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=5177&_sort=r&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=5489&_acct=C000009959&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=5939061&md5=f3764b29f7f12f947ceef47beb73462e
2) This journal article shows that there is NO LINK between MSG and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.
Monosodium-glutamate: a double-blind study and review
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MiamiImageURL&_imagekey=B6T6P-475T8XT-D-1&_cdi=5036&_user=5939061&_pii=027869159390012N&_check=y&_orig=search&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F1993&view=c&wchp=dGLbVzz-zSkzk&md5=bb5d489ac8ff7ee00446680174c0ba5c&ie=/sdarticle.pdf
3) Lastly, this abstract proves my point (in case you don't believe me) that glutamate is the main amino acid in proteins, and our body has no problems metabolising it.
Metabolic fate and function of dietary glutamate in the gut
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/3/850S
Furthermore, I believe that approval of food additives (and drugs, for that matter) are largely based on scientific evidence, and not just because "some politician said it should be". (and the FDA would hardly be in the pockets of some Japanese corporation, don't you think?)
My purpose is far from trying to mislead you, and in fact it is quite the opposite.
About your personal feud with Ajinomoto (the corporation), well, that is none of my business :)
Cheers!