Many foods contain additives that are designed to enhance their flavors. One such chemical additive is known as monosodium glutamate, or MSG. Monosodium glutamate is commonly added to Chinese food, and despite concerns over its safety, it has not been conclusively proven to cause any adverse effects.
Uses
Monosodium glutamate is added to foods to enhance their flavor. It also provides the taste buds with a flavor known as umami, which is experience as a meaty or brothy taste. MSG is added to restaurant foods and prepackaged foods and is also used as a seasoning at the table in some countries.
Manufacture
MSG is a salt made by combining sodium with glutamate, which is an amino acid found in many proteins. In some cases, monosodium glutamate is obtained by extraction from foods high in protein, such as seaweed. Because this process can be expensive and take a lot of time, most industrial manufacturers make it synthetically, using fermentation, which produces it in higher quantities.
Effects
Some of the controversy surrounding MSG is that it adds sodium to foods. A diet that is high in sodium can increase your blood pressure, leading to a greater chance of you developing cardiovascular disease. But monosodium glutamate contains less sodium than table salt and can also be used in smaller quantities. If you use MSG to reduce the amount of salt added to a food, it can actually reduce your sodium intake.
Safety
Over the years there have been reports of "MSG system complex," a collection of symptoms such as flushing, sweating, nausea, numbness, weakness, chest pain and heart palpitations that are claimed to be a result of consuming monosodium glutamate. No clinical evidence links MSG consumption to these symptoms. If you develop any unpleasant symptoms following MSG ingestion, avoid foods that contain this additive.
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