What makes msg bad for you

Glutamic acid is a precursor for the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA. GABA is abundant in the nervous system and plays a vital role in inhibition, or signal calming. There is not enough evidence to support a link between MSG consumption and the adverse reactions that people have reported. Researchers cannot conclusively say that MSG has caused the reactions in these reports.

Since a typical serving of food with MSG contains only 0. Manufacturers now typically produce it by fermenting starch, sugar cane, or molasses. This fermentation process is similar to the method that people use to make vinegar, wine, and yogurt. It naturally produces MSG, which manufacturers then purify and dry. The resulting crystalline structure dissolves readily during cooking to enhance the flavors of the dish.

According to one study , people have been using MSG to season their food for over years. Some people in Japanese cultures consider MSG, or umami, to be one of the five basic tastes. According to one study , the following food products may also contain MSG:. The first mention of MSG potentially being harmful to human health was in a letter that a Chinese physician sent to the New England Journal of Medicine in The physician said that he had noticed palpitations and numbness in his neck, back, and arms after he had eaten Chinese food.

Despite the author mentioning that his symptoms may have been the result of a number of dietary factors — including sodium, alcohol, and MSG — the publication highlighted MSG as being the main cause.

Over the years, people have proposed many different reasons as to why MSG may be harmful to human health. The belief that MSG can cause brain damage may have stemmed from a study in that investigated the effect of injecting large doses of MSG into newborn mice.

The investigators noted that the MSG caused neuronal cell death in several areas of the developing brain. For example, the MSG damaged the hypothalamus, which plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis. However, it is not possible to compare the effects of injecting large amounts of MSG into newborn mice with the effects of humans ingesting small amounts of MSG from food into their gastrointestinal tract. One study that involved more than 10, Chinese adults concluded that MSG caused the participants to gain weight even in the absence of processed foods or a lack of physical exercise.

However, a systematic review that mentioned this study goes on to say that this result may be due to the fact that MSG may influence a person to overeat. Moreover, a study concluded that MSG does not cause obesity at all. It is worth mentioning that because MSG makes food taste better, people may be more tempted to overeat.

Learn what a person should weigh for their height and age here. However, one review stated that there is no evidence to support a link between MSG consumption and headaches.

In , however, they removed MSG from this list. Learn about some possible causes of headaches here. And for six decades no one ever had a problem with it.

Until Since then, MSG has come under the microscope and things have never been the same. In the past 50 years, anecdotal reports have linked it to a long list of symptoms, including heart palpitations , chest pain, nausea, headache, the sweats and facial flushing, numbness, tingling, pressure and burning.

Research suggests that for a small number of highly sensitive people MSG may trigger the same symptoms listed above. On the flip side, there may be an unsung positive for MSG. IE 11 is not supported. While some people assert that the glutamate from MSG can act as an excitotoxin, leading to the destruction of nerve cells, no human studies support this. Symptoms included headache , muscle tightness, numbness, tingling, weakness and flushing.

The threshold dose that causes symptoms seems to be around 3 grams per meal. However, keep in mind that 3 grams is a very high dose — about six times the average daily intake in the US 1 , 3. It is unclear why this happens, but some researchers speculate that such large doses of MSG enable trace amounts of glutamic acid to cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with neurons, leading to brain swelling and injury 8.

However, other similar studies did not find any relationship between MSG intake and asthma 10 , 11 , 12 , While MSG can cause adverse symptoms in some people, doses used in studies were much higher than the average daily intake. Eating filling foods should reduce your calorie intake , which may aid weight loss. Studies note that people who consume soups flavored with MSG eat fewer calories at subsequent meals 14 , That said, other studies indicate that MSG increases — rather than decreases — calorie intake While some studies suggest that MSG may reduce your calorie intake, others claim that it boosts intake.

Some people associate MSG with weight gain. In animal studies, injecting high doses of MSG into the brains of rats and mice caused them to become obese 20 , In China, increased MSG intake has been linked to weight gain — with average intake ranging from 0.

However, in Vietnamese adults, an average intake of 2. Another study tied increased MSG intake to weight gain and metabolic syndrome in Thailand — but it has been criticized for methodological flaws 24 , In a controlled trial in humans, MSG raised blood pressure and increased the frequency of headaches and nausea.

However, this study used unrealistically high doses Though some studies link MSG intake to weight gain, the results are weak and inconsistent. More studies are necessary. Keep in mind that MSG is generally found in processed, low-quality foods — which you should avoid or limit anyway.

Learn more about MSG allergies, including symptoms and….