Monosodium glutamate is a food additive with a decades-old history of controversy. MSG is often blamed for unpleasant symptoms that follow its consumption -- namely after eating Asian food, giving rise to a curious phenomenon called "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." However, Mayo Clinic experts and governmental agencies state that monosodium glutamate is much safer than you might think.
FDA Classification
Monosodium glutamate is a food additive, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines as anything added to food during its production, processing, treatment, packaging, transportation or storage. Food additives have a variety of functions. Color additives enhance the color of food or give it an appealing or eye-catching hue, while nutrient additives are added to food to replace those lost during processing or to give the product added nutritional value. Monosodium glutamate is classified as a flavor enhancer; it draws out the flavor of food without adding a distinctive flavor itself. Other flavor enhancers include hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium guanylate and inosinate.
Properties
MSG is sodium derived from glutamic acid, according to the European Food Information Council, or EUFIC. Glutamate is found in almost every food, especially those high in protein, such as milk products, meat and fist, as well as in vegetables like tomatoes and mushrooms, which have a lot of natural glutamate. However, monosodium glutamate has far less sodium than regular table salt, containing only a third of its sodium content. The EUFIC further indicates that when MSG and small amounts of salt are used to flavor food, its sodium content can be cut by as much as 40 percent.
Uses
Monosodium glutamate is usually added to enhance savory foods, both prepared and processed, as well as to spice mixes, frozen foods, soups, salad dressing or any foods that use meat or fish as a base. MSG is also traditionally used in Chinese food, says Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" refers to adverse symptoms that some people notice after consuming Chinese food.
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome first came to light in the late 1960s, says MedlinePlus, when restaurant goers began reporting unpleasant symptoms as a purported reaction to the MSG in Chinese food: flushing, headache, sweating, pressure in the face, chest pain and numbness or burning of the mouth. Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, sometimes referred to as MSG syndrome or the "hot dog headache," isn't quite an urban legend, according to Zeratsky and MedlinePlus; it's possible that a small number of people are sensitive to MSG. However, science hasn't established a clear link between monosodium glutamate and these symptoms.
Safety
The FDA classifies monosodium glutamate as a GRAS -- "generally recognized as safe" -- ingredient. GRAS ingredients have a long history of use prior to 1958, and scientific studies have proven them to be safe to consume. According to the EUFIC, MSG has been examined exhaustively, with hundreds of studies concluding that it's safe for both adults and children. MSG is still one ingredient on the ingredient label to keep an eye on if you're trying to reduce your overall sodium intake, says MayoClinic.com. However, if you think you may be sensitive to MSG, avoid eating foods that contain it.
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