Table of contents:
- When was MSG first marketed as a seasoning?
- MSG is a cooking seasoning made from salt
- Then, why do you say MSG is bad for health?
- So actually, is MSG good or bad for health?
Monosodium glutamate a.k.a. MSG is one of the food ingredients that get the most news. MSG or more familiarly known as mecin is claimed to be addictive and make you stupid. What does the world of health say about the dangers of MSG?
When was MSG first marketed as a seasoning?
MSG has been used as a flavor enhancer for dishes for decades. In ancient times, MSG was a natural flavoring obtained from the processing of seaweed. Along with technological developments, now MSG is made from an industrial fermentation process. MSG is added to cooking to produce a savory taste, similar to the glutamate that fresh foods produce naturally.
MSG is a cooking seasoning made from salt
MSG is a salt molecule combined with the amino acid L-glutamate. This salt molecule is used to stabilize the glutamate component. Glutamate contained in amino acids acts as a savory taste (umami).
You can find the amino acid glutamic in almost all basic food ingredients, especially high protein foods, such as dairy products, red meat and fish, and many vegetables. Other food ingredients that are often used as natural flavorings, such as mushrooms and tomatoes, also contain high levels of the natural amino acid glutamate.
The human body also produces the amino acid glutamate and it plays an important role in normal body functions. In fact, breast milk contains 10 times more glutamate than cow's milk.
Then, why do you say MSG is bad for health?
The controversy regarding the safety of MSG began to lift in the 1960s, when the United States Food Safety Agency (FDA) received numerous reports of the side effects experienced by many diners at Chinese restaurants, giving rise to the term Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. These people reported experiencing headaches, nausea, numbness radiating from the back of the neck to the entire arms and back, chest tightness, heavy sweating, palpitations, and weakness after eating MSG-rich foods.
Moving forward a few years, a medical study published in 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a link between excessive MSG consumption and an increased risk of obesity in China. China has indeed become one of the countries with the highest level of MSG consumption.
Researchers found that individuals who consumed high amounts of MSG (4.2 grams per day) were more prone to obesity than people who consumed moderate amounts of MSG or even very little (0.4 grams per day).
However, it needs to be understood, the group of people with the highest consumption of MSG also shows an unhealthy lifestyle - smoking, lack of movement / rarely exercise, eating high-calorie, high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods. Since the research team did not include these factors in their calculations, more research is needed to prove that consumption of MSG is a direct cause of obesity and obesity.
More modern studies on the dangers of MSG have also found that the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome reaction as mentioned above is unlikely to be caused by MSG itself. The reactions that arise are most likely caused by an allergy to the ingredients in these foods, such as shrimp, nuts, herbs and other spices.
Although indeed, researchers admit that mild symptoms due to eating MSG may arise in some sensitive individuals, especially if they eat large portions of MSG foods on an empty stomach.
So actually, is MSG good or bad for health?
Despite various reports and anecdotal stories about the dangers of MSG, the FDA has declared MSG a "generally safe" food ingredient with the official GRAS label. This FDA decision was also approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as the Indonesian Ministry of Health.
The breakdown of MSG in the body is faster than trans fats. But unlike trans fats, scientific studies examining the dangers of MSG have not found that MSG causes weight gain or sudden loss of consciousness. Dozens of studies and various scientific evaluations have concluded that MSG is a safe flavoring ingredient and useful for cooking.
But in truth, MSG treatment is the same as any other food ingredient, that is not consumed in excess. One study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that disputes the dangers of MSG states that the wider community must be aware of the health side effects that may occur due to eating MSG and to wisely manage the portions.
For this reason, the FDA is asking food manufacturers and restaurants to keep MSG on their list of product ingredients.
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