MSG

This is a health message. Also known as a ‘Health MSG’!

Browsing through some of the messages on the social media I came across one of those information slideshows about food.

I like food. It is one of my hobbies. Thus my interest was piqued because this particular slideshow purported to tell me what foods are bad for me.

Not very far into the set of pictures with accompanying dire warnings came this:

“Do not eat Chinese food. Chinese food contains Monosodium Glutamate and is, therefore, extremely bad for you.”

The warning about MSG was extended to several other slides but it triggered a notion in my head that I had seen, some time ago, a piece of research that refuted the idea that MSG was as bad for you as people like to make out.

More research became necessary.

I have often held the idea that the Mayo Clinic is a reasonable authority on health issues. Naturally, then, it would be my first port of call when looking for evidence about MSG.

Lo and behold, a young lady of considerable education provides me with the following:

“What is MSG? Is it bad for you?

Answers from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that's "generally recognized as safe," but its use remains controversial. For this reason, when MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that it be listed on the label.

MSG has been used as a food additive for decades. Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — include:

·       Headache

·       Flushing

·       Sweating

·       Facial pressure or tightness

• Numbness, tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas

·       Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)

·       Chest pain

·       Nausea

·       Weakness

However, researchers have found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and these symptoms. Researchers acknowledge, though, that a small percentage of people may have short-term reactions to MSG. Symptoms are usually mild and don't require treatment. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG.”

Then there was this:

“In the year 1969, injecting large doses of MSG into new-born mice was shown to cause harmful neurological effects.

This paper ignited a fear of MSG, which remains to this day.

In 1996, a book called Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills was published by the neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock.

In his book, he argued that nerve cells, including those in the brain, can be destroyed by the excitatory effects of glutamate from MSG.

It is actually true that increased activity of glutamate in the brain can cause harm.

It is also true that large doses of MSG can raise blood levels of glutamate. In one study, a megadose of MSG increased blood levels by 556%.

However, dietary glutamate should have little to no effect on the human brain because it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier in large amounts.

Overall, there doesn't seem to be any compelling evidence that MSG acts as an excitotoxin when consumed in normal amounts.”

Jolene Blalock - not to be confused with Russell Blaylock MD.

Of course there is a great deal more about MSG on the internet as a trip to ‘Google’ or ‘Yahoo’ will tell you.

However, as a long time consumer of this flavour enhancer, I feel no side effects that cannot be rationally explained by the use of other chemicals and drugs that are to be found in other foods.

It is my contention that the dangers of MSG are exaggerated. The dangers inherent in other substances that are commonly taken – and in excess, are far more prevalent. Sugar, for example, is a prime example of a poison that is tremendously harmful to the human being. Aspartame has long been accused of being unhealthy but there is no evidence of it other than insects, dogs and cats avoiding it; this is hardly empirical.

What it boils down to (sorry about that!) is that almost anything taken to excess can be harmful. Some things are harmful even in moderation – cigarettes and alcohol are prime contenders here, both are far more hazardous to health than MSG.

“Waiter? Fried rice over here, please.”