Wondering if MSG is safe and whether you should avoid it? Get the facts on how MSG got a bad reputation–and where things stand now.
It’s a frustrating fact that certain foods, ingredients, and nutrients seem to fall in and out of favor among health experts, depending on what the latest science says. So what does it all mean for you and your family?
This is the fourth post in my blog series Nutrition Flip-Flops. I’ll give you the lowdown on what we used to think, what we know now, and what YOU should do. Read the other posts in this series:
This post addresses MSG.
This post is NOT sponsored in any way. I originally published a shorter version of this post on WebMD.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is popularly known as “that stuff in Chinese food that gives you a headache”. But what’s the truth?
MSG: The Backstory
MSG is a seasoning made from sodium and glutamate, an amino acid that’s found naturally in the body and in some foods like tomatoes, soy sauce, and aged cheeses. Glutamate was discovered as a flavor enhancer in 1908 by a Japanese professor, who pinpointed glutamate as the substance that gave his favorite seaweed broth its rich, savory taste. Glutamate is unique because it hits the fabled “fifth taste” called umami (Japanese for “delicious”), a savory and meaty flavor. The professor filed for a patent to produce MSG, and it became widely used to season food.
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What are MSG concerns?
In 1968, a letter appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine from a doctor claiming he experienced heart palpitations and flushing after eating in Chinese restaurants. He chalked it up to MSG in the food, and the editors of the journal dubbed it “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”.
Anecdotal reports started swirling about MSG and the symptoms it supposedly triggered, from headaches and nausea to tightness in the chest. When I asked about MSG on my Real Mom Facebook page, some people mentioned MSG side effects like a racing heart, insomnia, and swelling of the hands and feet.
MSG: The Latest
Is MSG safe?
Though there were plenty of anecdotal reports about MSG, scientific evidence was thin. So in the 1990s, the FDA asked an independent scientific group to investigate. The group concluded that MSG is safe, though they said some sensitive people might get short-term symptoms like headache or drowsiness if they consume 3 grams or more of MSG (a typical serving of MSG in food is less than .5 grams).
The FDA classifies MSG as “generally recognized as safe”, the same designation they give ingredients like sugar and baking soda (but, to be fair, also the same designation they give additives that haven’t been tested by the FDA for safety). The FDA says the body metabolizes MSG the same way it does the natural glutamate found in foods like tomatoes and cheese.
Does MSG cause headaches?
A 2016 analysis of studies published in the Journal of Headache Pain concluded that there’s no proof of a cause-and-effect relationship between MSG and headaches. It’s also worth noting that in 2018, the International Headache Society removed MSG from its list of headache triggers.
Does MSG cause weight gain?
MSG has been studied for a possible connection with weight gain. One explanation is that MSG makes food taste better–so you may eat more of it. Another is that the additive may disrupt hunger-fullness hormones. In one study of more than 10,000 Chinese adults published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, those who ate the most MSG were 33 percent more likely to be overweight after five years compared to those who ate the least amount. But other research doesn’t show this effect–or shows the opposite.
MSG: What You Should Do
If you believe you have a sensitivity to MSG, by all means continue to avoid it. Although there’s no scientific evidence of a sensitivity, every person is different. Just because science doesn’t prove something doesn’t mean it’s not happening to you.
Where is MSG in food?
If you’re avoiding MSG, how do you know if a food contains it? According to the FDA, food with added MSG must list it in the ingredient panel as “monosodium glutamate”. You may find added MSG in foods like:
- Chinese food
- canned soup
- frozen foods
- fast food
- packaged snacks
MSG occurs naturally in certain food ingredients too, including:
- hydrolyzed vegetable protein
- autolyzed yeast
- hydrolyzed yeast
- yeast extract
- soy extracts
- protein isolate
If you’re staying away from MSG, you should avoid products with those ingredients too. (You’ll see those ingredients named on the ingredient list, but manufacturers aren’t required to state that the product contains MSG unless it also contains the monosodium glutamate seasoning specifically.) If you eat a diet that’s overall low in highly processed foods, you’ll naturally consume fewer of those ingredients.
You can also look for the package claims “No MSG” or “No added MSG”. Any food that contains MSG either as monosodium glutamate or via one of the ingredients listed above cannot make those claims. The FDA also says MSG is not allowed be listed as simply “spices and flavoring” in the ingredient list.
How to use MSG
There are upsides to using MSG if you don’t think you are sensitive to it. MSG increases flavor and adds depth–but it has two-thirds less sodium that regular table salt. And you don’t need very much to boost flavor. According to Ajinomoto, which makes MSG seasoning, you only need a half-teaspoon to enhance the flavor of a pound of meat or up to six servings of veggies or soup.
If you want to try the seasoning for yourself, you can find it in the spice aisle under names like Accent. Sprinkle a little bit into a casserole or batch of soup and see if you like the way it makes your food taste–and the way it makes you feel.
In my opinion, it’s much better to know the facts and try things firsthand than to rely on rumor.
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Cristy White says
I just want to add a snippet to this because as a holistic healer, msg is the enemy. It is actually proven by science to be a neurotoxin that basically kills brain cells.
“…excitotoxicity which may cause severe neuronal damage and other complications. Common disorders include ischemia and traumatic brain injury; however, it may result in chronic conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease…”
This parcel of information comes straight from a scientific journal, which also goes on to state msg’s detrimental effects on the liver, blood glucose and brain receptors that identify hormonal impulses. Msg was extracted by humans, it does not appear alone in nature. When it is in a good such as seaweed, there are other factors that go towards eliminating it’s toxicity in the body. Things like Accent are pure poison.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10942912.2017.1295260?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Sally says
Thanks Cristy. Happy to hear different perspectives and opinions on this, and I especially appreciate you linking to the original source.
Pca says
At the end of the article you linked, it says (not a verbatim quote) moderate quantities are not harmful and more research should be conducted on the effect of msg and how it works at the cellular level. Calling it a poison though may be a stretch just from this article.
Though It is interesting what people are sensitive to; my wife eats a bowl of cereal (or anything else with milk) and she gets very tired for hours. It works almost like a sedative for her. I am extremely sensitive to Sucralose/Aspartame, to such a degree that I can taste it in foods in even slight amount when others cant tell, but it causes tension/tightness in my forehead and headache if I consume it; even a slight amount makes me feel like i have a mild case of motion sickness. Just because someone has a sensitivity to something doesnt necessarily means that it is “unhealthy”. My wife and I try to avoid MSG for several reasons, but primarily because I dont see the point of using it when I enjoy food without it. The correlation to obesity/weight gain is clear, but I would like more research focused on the other adverse side effects.
cathie says
Cristy science is ever evolving. Also I don’t fully trust science after all the cherry picked data from the 7 countries study caused an increase in carb consumption and look at where we are now. Or was it that this study was also supported by grain growers in america? Conflict of interest much? Fat was considered bad but carbs good????- and we have a nation full of obese people because of this.
I don’t trust science– someone always has an interest in something and provides the information to support their claims.
cathie says
Also, forgot to add, the doses given to rats were pretty high compared to their body weight. I don’t think one would consume thatch in real life.
Science has also proven that drinking too much water can kill you.
Daniel D says
I’d like to point out that towards the end it indicates that the amounts used are quite significant. After some basic calculations, I found that assuming that 0.6 mg/g body weight is distributed over the 10 days, the average American would be consuming more than 3 times what the upper limit is for MSG consumption. Of course that causes problems. If you’re being reasonable and put less than 1/2 a teaspoon for a family of 4, you probably won’t have issues. The reported results on the rats all include the statement “its excess leads to”. If you eat it in moderation, you shouldn’t have issues unless you’re sensitive.
Ken says
“MSF does not appear naturally in nature”??? It appears in tomatoes doesn’t it???
A Researcher says
The article you cited here is from a journal with questionable reputation. Despite claiming to be peer reviewed, it costs $1950 in 2020 to publish to this journal, which suggests that it’s a journal that makes money off of authors, rather than readership. The publisher also claims a fairly low impact factor of 1.8, and aggregate sites give it even lower (~0.58 on ResearchGate, for example). It is likely that this article is not a particularly rigorous or trustworthy. It is highly likely that I can publish more or less anything I want in this journal (see example of a similar “journal”: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Get-me-off-Your-Fucking-Mailing-List-Mazi%C3%A8res-Kohler/7e45cc8cef6742841955c2467f0727a96783499a).
Also, keep in mind that a lot of anti-MSG sentiment was roused by anti-Chinese sentiment during the Cold War. You don’t have to trust scientists saying that MSG is safe, but you certainly shouldn’t be trusting radical domestic terrorists from the 70s saying that it’s a toxin in small quantities.
Alice says
Emphasis on this comment! Good to hear from someone with an actual science background, not a so-called “holistic healer” lol!
Shannon says
Simple, if you react badly to it then it’s bad for you. If you don’t, then it’s still not likely “good” for you in the same way a vitamin is good for you.
I, for one, am one of those that react badly to it. A tiny little bit is ok (think 3 or 4 potatoe chips), but more than that and I have severe brain fog for the next 2 or 3 days.
My son is worse as his issues with it manifest as brain fog, no attention span, and extreme irritability that last from 2 to 5 days. Over the years we’ve learned this through trial and error, and have verified his “no go” ingredients are MSG and Red 40.
Char ortiz says
One day a new Chinese restaurant popped up in our neighborhood. Couldn’t wait to try it out – My husband and I went there and ordered two soup bowls with noodles and other yummy stuff in there. It was absolutely delicious. Afterward, on the way to the car I had a weird sensation. It felt like my skin had “pins and needles”. By the time I got home I had to lay down. I was getting a wave sensation from head to toe of muscle spasms and it flowed up and down my body. I could further describe this experience but basically, I really felt bad and a little freaked out. My husband had no reaction at all. I always wondered if I had a reaction to MSG that might’ve been in the food.
Keith R. Starkey says
Oh, and let’s not forget the experiments I watched on video of people being told they were eating food with MSG and those who weren’t. Oddly, but not strangely, many claimed headaches after eating though they didn’t consume any MSG; they only though they did.
You can get natural glutamates through the use of Worchestershire sauce, mushrooms, anchovies and other natural-glutamate sources. It’s essentially the same stuff as MSG.
Daniel D says
Ahh yes, people saying what they think is true, not what actually happened.
Linda Bush says
I love wonton soup. If we don’t have aregular big dinner at night, I fix my husband a cheeseburger, his little favorite and I will have a bowl of wonton soup. But for the last year, I have had problems with my mouth being real raw and tender and even problems with my tongue. Steroids have helped some, but who wants to be on them indefinitely? Even though it’s only 2 mgs a day. But lately, even on the steroids, I’m having trouble with the soreness. I even have a steroid “paste” that I can apply to my mouth twice a day on the sore spots. They tell me it’s an auto immune thing called lichen plau.. But, I keep trying to figure out if I’m having an allergic reaction to something. There ARE certain foods that definitely make it hurt like spicey things, or salty, vinegary things. It stings when I eat them.. I’m kinda at my wits end. Anybody have anything like this going on?