Savor the flavor: A closer look on what science have to say about MSG
Haniah P. Ampuan
“Is the apprehension towards MSG truly born out of health-related concerns or is there an underlying stigma causing a persistent misconception regarding this flavoring additive?”
How many times have you been told, “Wag ‘yan may MSG, hindi yan mabuti sayo,” when buying food products from groceries or ordering restaurant foods? Probably more often than you might notice. As for me, it’s a common occurrence.
Nowadays, many of us prefer to buy frozen meals, canned goods, cup noodles and other processed foods for daily consumption. For someone like me with a hectic schedule, juggling responsibilities from academics to household chores, this is the best option. After a long day of work, the smell of noodles had been my go-to food. Aside from their undeniably unique kind of flavor, pre-packaged foods and seasonings are very easy to prepare. No need to spend more time for that extra flavor! These kinds of store-bought products contain many additives for multiple purposes, such as preservation, and most importantly, flavor enhancement. And the most common ingredient found in these food products is monosodium glutamate (MSG) or what we call the fifth taste or umami.
MSG, with a chemical formula of C5H8NO4Na, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant nonessential amino acids found in nature that is used as a food additive and flavor enhancer either in the form of pure monosodium salt or from hydrolyzed protein products. It has been widely accepted in Asian cuisine, and is added to restaurant foods to enhance their palatability. However, its regular use in various food products raised public concerns and resistance for its potential and supposed effect on human health. Some people believe it causes a number of allergy-like symptoms, including MSG-induced asthma, migraine headaches, hives, and swelling of the face, mouth, and tongue. Is the apprehension towards MSG truly born out of health-related concerns or is there an underlying stigma causing a persistent misconception regarding this flavoring additive?
History of monosodium glutamate
Glutamate was discovered from kombu seaweed in 1908 by a Japanese physical chemistry professor, Kikunae Ikeda. He extracted the amino acid from the glutamate-rich seaweed broth, dissolved it in water, and neutralized it with sodium hydroxide to form MSG. Today, it’s being used to supplement processed foods, such as frozen meals, canned tuna, dietary supplements, salad dressing, and infant formula. If you’ve ever been told by your mom to buy Magic Sarap or Ajinomoto, then you must know that these are also rich in MSG. Besides its artificial use as a food additive, MSG has also been observed to occur naturally in various foods, such as tomatoes and cheese. It is also produced through the fermentation of animal-based or plant-based foods, including starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses. Despite its wide acceptance in the food industry, especially among Asian countries, skepticism on its safeness for consumption arose in Western countries in the second half of the 20th century.
Debunking false beliefs on MSG
Underneath the objections on the use of MSG lies long-lasting systemic racism. In 1968, Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok wrote to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine describing symptoms he experienced after dining at Chinese restaurants in the United States. He wrote that he experienced numbness or burning at the back of the neck, as well as general weakness and heart palpitations; all of which he attributed to the use of MSG, specifically in the Chinese dishes he had consumed. His report was then followed by several case studies that collectively gave rise to the term “Chinese restaurant syndrome,” sparking the upsurge of mistrust on East Asian cuisine. Eventually, due to the misleading terminology used, experts refer to any MSG intake reactions as “MSG symptom complex,” and though it was already known that a variety of foods naturally contain MSG, its use as a food additive remains controversial. Past claims of its negative effects made people strongly presume that there is a strong correlation between consumption of MSG and various health conditions like heart diseases.
Several studies have already tried to debunk this misconception many times. Researchers have since demonstrated that there is no clear and consistent causal relationship between MSG ingestion and the development of the extreme health conditions associated with it. Though it was acknowledged that there were recorded mild short-term reactions to MSG, that was only observed in a small percentage of MSG consumers. According to a 2019 review, there is a link between consuming high doses of MSG and an increased risk of heart attack, and a negative impact on liver health, fertility, and tumor formation in the context of MSG-induced obesity in rats. But, do note that this was the case for the rats in the said study. The authors of this review pointed out that the quantity of MSG used in these animal studies did not reflect reality in terms of human consumption of MSG. One significant analysis from their review posits that many of the reported negative health effects of MSG have little relevance for chronic human exposure to low doses.
In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers the addition of MSG to foods to be “generally recognized as safe.” Up until now, there is no evidence that relates MSG ingestion to extreme health conditions. Only when consumed excessively will this become alarming and could potentially increase the health risks to your body. So, the next time someone tells you to avoid MSG, you can say that it’s not harmful to your health as long as it’s taken in moderation. You can feel less guilty now when trying to order your favorite food in your favorite restaurant. But, still consider your personal health limitations! If you’re like me who enjoys noodles or any other ready-made food products rich with MSG, you can even take it to another level and say, MSG might just be the key to make life a little bit tastier.
