What is Monosodium glutamate (MSG)?
Monosodium glutamate is a water-soluble sodium salt. It is mainly abundant in non-essential amino acid, glutamic acid. MSG is utilized worldwide for its “umami” taste and flavor enhancement qualities which were first considered a predominant taste in Asia and much later in Western cultures. MSG is bad for you as it increases health hazards like obesity, heart malfunctions, and other problems.
How MSG is prepared?
It is prepared from starch, sugar, beet, sugar cane, or molasses. The consumption of MSG has increased all over the world in recent years with an average daily intake from foods reported to be about up to 1 g in Europe, 4 g in Asian countries, and 10 g in Germany.
It is widely used as a natural source and also as additives in certain food products, such as processed meat, canned vegetables, soups, sauces, dried bouillon cubes, and salty flavored snacks as well as some packaged foods without mentioning the label. There is a controversy over the use of MSG in foods worldwide and its safety as a food additive remains debated (1). Let’s take a closer look at the effect of Monosodium glutamate on health
Effect of MSG on health
1. Effect on the reproductive organ
Intake of Monosodium glutamate can induce oxidative stress with the production of harmful radicals which further damage DNA and lead to cell death. It also decreases testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone levels. Therefore intake may affect the tissues of the testis and other reproductive organs, it may be better to reduce the use of monosodium in foods or to remove it completely (2).
2. Risk of Hyperalgesia (Increased sensitivity to pain)
A research study done on mouse proved that a higher intake of Monosodium glutamate may reduce the pain threshold due to the overproduction of nitric oxide in the brain which damage nociceptors or peripheral nerves that cause abnormally increased sensitivity to pain (3).
3. Effect on diabetes
Monosodium glutamate is effective to reduce postprandial glucose concentration (glucose level after meal) and pancreatic β-cell mass without affecting insulin levels or glucose tolerance. However, if you have a history of genetic susceptibility to diabetes or with preexisting chronic pancreatitis you should avoid the use of MSG because it may cause adverse effects (4, 5).
4. Effect on newborn and infant child
The newborn or infant child who is suffering from diabetes due to MSG exposure also leads to cognitive deficits/ impairment and neurodegeneration diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (6).
Moreover, the consumption of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and high sucrose diet in combination with increasing body weight, produce hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hyperinsulinemia as well as stunted skeletal development. Therefore its intake is responsible for the induction of type-2 diabetes along with several diabetic complications (7, 8).
5. Effect on the brain
Intake of MSG may cause headaches and dizziness because it induces cell swelling or death and neuronal necrosis in several regions of the brain thus causing brain neuronal injury (9).
6. Effect on blood pressure
Higher consumption of Monosodium glutamate may increase systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as increase nausea and vascular dysfunction (10).
7. Effect on weight
According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and some other organizations, MSG is generally recognized as a safe food ingredient however higher amount intake of MSG (5 g) show a positive effect on overweight development/ obesity. It also increases the risk of metabolic syndrome (cardiovascular disease and diabetes) in a person (11, 12).
8. Enhance flavor and satiety
The addition of MSG in the soup and other dishes increases both pleasantness and savory character. It also suppresses appetite. Therefore, MSG is known to enhance the flavor of savory (umami taste) foods, more pleasant, more delicious, more satisfying, and consumption of total energy (13, 14).
9. Effect on Asthma
In the early 1980s questions were raised that MSG intake can provoke asthma due to the intake of animal fat while research studies proved that MSG failed to induce signs or symptoms of asthma no such association between MSG (vegetable-rich, macho, and sweet tooth) intake and asthma are found (15, 16).
Monosodium glutamate is safe or not?
GRAS (generally recognized as safe), the American Food and Drug Administration, and several other agencies consider MSG safe to consume. Therefore acceptable daily intake (ADI) does not specify a category.
Although intake of MSG show toxic effects on the following
- Central nervous system
- Adipose tissue
- Hepatic tissue
- Reproductive organs
MSG consumption shows symptoms like
- Headache
- Muscle tightness
- Numbness/tingling
- General weakness
- Asthma
- Urticaria
- Angioedema
- Rhinitis
- Chinese restaurant syndrome (Flushing).
Moreover, increase consumption of monosodium glutamate may be responsible for hepatotoxic, neurotoxic, and genotoxic effects. Therefore you should avoid or use common salt instead. However, most of the studies are on animals and may differ due to the method of administration. The used doses in most of them were not comparable to human MSG intake.
But we cannot ignore the other study that shows MSG has many dangerous effects on health, especially kids, so it is so necessary to declare its presence or absence and level on the labels of the products as well as MSG consumption up to a certain level does not have any adverse effects because an excess of everything is bad (17, 18).