Monosodium Glutamate (MSG's)

[pastradamus]

Just writing to ask a question to a few people in the know about monosodium glutamate or MSG as its commonly reffered.

I like to cook a lot in my spare time and i've noticed just how much MSG's there are in various foods, stocks, powders and spices. MSG is used as a flavour enhancer in foods. I've been told in the past that MSG's are a carcinogen and are bad for human consumption. I remember once when I worked in a butchers shop we were told to dump a large vat of seasoning as it contained a large amount of MSG's and was against health measures at that time.

So my question is to anybody here who knows about this stuff:

1) Just what does consuming MSG's do to the human body?
2) Why is it still in food flavourings when we are told it causes cancer etc?
3) How much scientific proof is there to sugges that is dangerous to consume?

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I've no reason to believe it's any more dangerous or carcinogenic than eating smoked food, which I've heard is also carcinogenic.

I've never understood this obsession with stuff that "causes" cancer (http://dailymailoncology.tumblr.com/). Stopping smoking and eating a healthy diet is a whole lot more effective than avoiding MSG and any one of a hundred million other things that that may, perhaps, supposedly cause cancer.

[Ingraham Effingham]

Some of the complaints are:

Flushed face
Thirst
exacerbation of asthma symptoms
sleepiness
weight gain

But considering that most of this anecdotal evidence, no scientist is willing to make any strong claims about it.

These are also symotoms of over-eating, high sodium content, and eating high-alcohol-content cooking: which is how chinese-american cuisine is served.

Probably the campaign against MSG was started by some crackpot scientist, and run away with by nationalist rumors and media.

It occurs naturally in certain seaweed extracts, used for thousands of years, and it has similar chemistry to an amino acid.

"MSG poisoning" seems to be an individual phenomenon, as a lot of people eat tons of it with no problem. Maybe it's a hypochondria thing.

But, like anything, too much over a long time probably isnt healthy.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Some people might be allergic to MSG, in which case they'd be better off avoiding it.

[Jazzratt]

I've known someone be allergic to the stuff but I haven't really heard of it being a carcinogenic poison or anything from someone that isn't a crank of some kind or other.

[Decolonize The Left]

I have asthma and when I eat really heavy MSG-saturated foods I get a tight chest and generally need my meds. Usually it takes about 30 minutes from when start eating to get the tightness and it's easily relieved with my albuterol inhaler.

Generally speaking it's not necessary as an ingredient - salt does pretty much the exact same thing. So if you're thinking about cooking with it, I'd recommend you don't and instead lightly salt your food at each stage of the cooking process.

- August

[chegitz guevara]

It's a naturally occurring salt. In blind tests, people served food with MSG suffered no more problems than without. People told they had MSG in their food, when they didn't, were more likely to report problems.

Doesn't mean there isn't an effect.

Wikipedia is your friend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

[pastradamus]

I have asthma and when I eat really heavy MSG-saturated foods I get a tight chest and generally need my meds. Usually it takes about 30 minutes from when start eating to get the tightness and it's easily relieved with my albuterol inhaler.

Generally speaking it's not necessary as an ingredient - salt does pretty much the exact same thing. So if you're thinking about cooking with it, I'd recommend you don't and instead lightly salt your food at each stage of the cooking process.

- August

Interesting. I try not to cook with it but unfortunetly its in so many things that its difficult to avoid at time. That said I doubt I have ever saturated a food in this ingredient.