A widespread and silent killer that's worse for your health than alcohol, nicotine and many drugs is likely lurking in your kitchen cabinets right now.[1] "It" is monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer that's known widely as an addition to Chinese food, but that's actually added to thousands of the foods you and your family regularly eat, especially if you are like most Americans and eat the majority of your food as processed foods or in restaurants.
MSG is one of the worst food additives on the market and is used in canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners and much more. It's found in your local supermarket and restaurants, in your child's school cafeteria and, amazingly, even in baby food and infant formula.
MSG is more than just a seasoning like salt and pepper, it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny.
While MSG's benefits to the food industry are quite clear, this food additive could be slowly and silently doing major damage to your health.
What Exactly is MSG?
You may remember when the MSG powder called "Accent" first hit the U.S. market. Well, it was many decades prior to this, in 1908, that monosodium glutamate was invented. The inventor was Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese man who identified the natural flavor enhancing substance of seaweed.
Taking a hint from this substance, they were able to create the man-made additive MSG, and he and a partner went on to form Ajinomoto, which is now the world's largest producer of MSG (and interestingly also a drug manufacturer).[2]
Chemically speaking, MSG is approximately 78 percent free glutamic acid, 21 percent sodium, and up to 1 percent contaminants.[3]
It's a misconception that MSG is a flavor or "meat tenderizer." In reality, MSG has very little taste at all, yet when you eat MSG, you think the food you're eating has more protein and tastes better. It does this by tricking your tongue, using a little-known fifth basic taste: umami.
Umami is the taste of glutamate, which is a savory flavor found in many Japanese foods, bacon and also in the toxic food additive MSG. It is because of umami that foods with MSG taste heartier, more robust and generally better to a lot of people than foods without it.
The ingredient didn't become widespread in the United States until after World War II, when the U.S. military realized Japanese rations were much tastier than the U.S. versions because of MSG.
In 1959, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeled MSG as "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS), and it has remained that way ever since. Yet, it was a telling sign when just 10 years later a condition known as "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" entered the medical literature, describing the numerous side effects, from numbness to heart palpitations, that people experienced after eating MSG.
Today that syndrome is more appropriately called "MSG Symptom Complex," which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifies as "short-term reactions" to MSG. More on those "reactions" to come.
Why MSG is so Dangerous
One of the best overviews of the very real dangers of MSG comes from Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of "Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills." In it he explains that MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees -- and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease and more.
Part of the problem also is that free glutamic acid is the same neurotransmitter that your brain, nervous system, eyes, pancreas and other organs use to initiate certain processes in your body.[4] Even the FDA states:
"Studies have shown that the body uses glutamate, an amino acid, as a nerve impulse transmitter in the brain and that there are glutamate-responsive tissues in other parts of the body, as well.
Abnormal function of glutamate receptors has been linked with certain neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's chorea. Injections of glutamate in laboratory animals have resulted in damage to nerve cells in the brain."[5]
Although the FDA continues to claim that consuming MSG in food does not cause these ill effects, many other experts say otherwise.
According to Dr. Blaylock, numerous glutamate receptors have been found both within your heart's electrical conduction system and the heart muscle itself. This can be damaging to your heart, and may even explain the sudden deaths sometimes seen among young athletes.
He says:
"When an excess of food-borne excitotoxins, such as MSG, hydrolyzed protein soy protein isolate and concentrate, natural flavoring, sodium caseinate and aspartate from aspartame, are consumed, these glutamate receptors are over-stimulated, producing cardiac arrhythmias.
When magnesium stores are low, as we see in athletes, the glutamate receptors are so sensitive that even low levels of these excitotoxins can result in cardiac arrhythmias and death."[6]
Many other adverse effects have also been linked to regular consumption of MSG, including:
Obesity
Eye damage
Headaches
Fatigue and disorientation
Depression
Further, even the FDA admits that "short-term reactions" known as MSG Symptom Complex can occur in certain groups of people, namely those who have eaten "large doses" of MSG or those who have asthma.[7]
According to the FDA, MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as:
Numbness
Burning sensation
Tingling
Facial pressure or tightness
Chest pain or difficulty breathing
Headache
Nausea
Rapid heartbeat
Drowsiness
Weakness
No one knows for sure just how many people may be "sensitive" to MSG, but studies from the 1970s suggested that 25 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. population was intolerant of MSG -- at levels then found in food. Since the use of MSG has expanded dramatically since that time, it's been estimated that up to 40 percent of the population may be impacted.[8]
How to Determine if MSG is in Your Food
Food manufacturers are not stupid, and they've caught on to the fact that people like you want to avoid eating this nasty food additive. As a result, do you think they responded by removing MSG from their products? Well, a few may have, but most of them just tried to "clean" their labels. In other words, they tried to hide the fact that MSG is an ingredient.
How do they do this? By using names that you would never associate with MSG.
You see, it's required by the FDA that food manufacturers list the ingredient "monosodium glutamate" on food labels, but they do not have to label ingredients that contain free glutamic acid, even though it's the main component of MSG.
There are over 40 labeled ingredients that contain glutamic acid,[9] but you'd never know it just from their names alone. Further, in some foods glutamic acid is formed during processing and, again, food labels give you no way of knowing for sure.
Tips for Keeping MSG Out of Your Diet
In general, if a food is processed you can assume it contains MSG (or one of its pseudo-ingredients). So if you stick to a whole, fresh foods diet, you can pretty much guarantee that you'll avoid this toxin.
The other place where you'll need to watch out for MSG is in restaurants. You can ask your server which menu items are MSG-free, and request that no MSG be added to your meal, but of course the only place where you can be entirely sure of what's added to your food is in your own kitchen.
To be on the safe side, you should also know what ingredients to watch out for on packaged foods. Here is a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:
Autolyzed Yeast Calcium Caseinate Gelatin
Glutamate Glutamic Acid Hydrolyzed Protein
Monopotassium Glutamate Monosodium Glutamate Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein Yeast Extract Yeast Food
Yeast Nutrient
These ingredients OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing:[10]
Flavors and Flavorings Seasonings Natural Flavors and Flavorings Natural Pork Flavoring Natural Beef Flavoring
Natural Chicken Flavoring Soy Sauce Soy Protein Isolate Soy Protein Bouillon
Stock Broth Malt Extract Malt Flavoring Barley Malt
Anything Enzyme Modified Carrageenan Maltodextrin Pectin Enzymes
Protease Corn Starch Citric Acid Powdered Milk Anything Protein Fortified
Anything Ultra-Pasteurized
So if you do eat processed foods, please remember to be on the lookout for these many hidden names for MSG.
Choosing to be MSG-Free
Making a decision to avoid MSG in your diet as much as possible is a wise choice for nearly everyone. Admittedly, it does take a bit more planning and time in the kitchen to prepare food at home, using fresh, locally grown ingredients. But knowing that your food is pure and free of toxic additives like MSG will make it well worth it.
Plus, choosing whole foods will ultimately give you better flavor and more health value than any MSG-laden processed food you could buy at your supermarket.
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[1] Mercola.com "The Shocking Dangers of MSG You Don't Know," video Part 1
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/28/dangers-of-msg.aspx?aid=CD12
[2] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack "MSG Dangers and Deceptions"
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm
[3] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack "MSG Dangers and Deceptions"
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm
[4] MSGTruth.org "What Exactly is MSG?"
http://www.msgtruth.org/whatisit.htm
[5] U.S. Food and Drug Administration "FDA and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)" August 31, 1995
http://www.foodsafety.gov/~lrd/msg.html
[6] eMediaWire "Athlete Alert: Renowned Neurosurgeon Identifies Aspartame & MSG in Sudden Cardiac Death" April 15, 2005
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/4/emw225071.htm
[7] FDA Consumer Magazine "MSG: A Common Flavor Enhancer" January-February 2003
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/103_msg.html
[8] TruthinLabeling.org "This is What the Data Say About Monosodium Glutamate Toxicity and Human Adverse Reactions"
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/Proof_AdverseReactions_AR.html
[9] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack "MSG Dangers and Deceptions"
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm
[10] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack "MSG Dangers and Deceptions"
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm
Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder and director of Mercola.com. Become a fan of Dr. Mercola on Facebook, on Twitter and check out Dr. Mercola's report on sun exposure!
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Monosodium glutamate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MSG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I use MSG to reduce my salt intake. I was previously using Lite salt, which is 50% potassium chloride, but started having heart palpitations and discovered that a medication I take causes potassium retention. So, I learned more about using MSG instead, and I have had NO problems with it.
The only evidence that MSG is bad for anyone is that some people are allergic to it (~2%), which is pretty normal for any chemical or food, natural or human-synthesized.
The rest:
http://www.salon.com/food/feature/2010/03/17/msg_huffington_post/index.html
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=599381265368100582&ei=F7n3SPyNApnWqAPo9a0E&q=msg+%2260+minutes%22#
Are you a Japanese census taker? LOL
I was in my 30's and had developed acne again. Even the acne went away when I cut out MSG and I thought of my teen years when acne was seen as just a teenage thing, but now I realize it was all the chips and processed food with MSG that I ate back then.
I have tried to eat Dorito's and other chips a few time since then, but I ended up having itching fits afterward, so no more MSG for me.
FDA scientists sent a letter last year to Obama about how the agency is corrupt and Americans are at risk ..
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123142562104564381.html
It's now been confirmed as authentic by the FDA ...
http://industry.bnet.com/pharma/10007170/fda-corruption-letter-authenticated-lawyers-start-your-engines/
According to Doug Kreis, who sues drug companies, “Consumers have been given a slight fighting chance now against [the] ‘FDA Defense,’ based on this certification.”
The FDA defense was that since the FDA approved the product then the drug company can't be sued ... this weakens that defense.
Also - do you really want to eat food that has to have a "flavor enhancer" to taste good? Better to eat food that tastes good on it's own
How can we eat well and not break the bank? Perhaps I should look into growing my own veggies and fruits this summer like the White House.
The idea with sources is usually that they are legitimate avenues for people to follow up on your research.
Only 2 of 10 sources on this list work.
One of them is Mercola's own website.
Also, if the same source is used multiple times, it receives only one entry with each citation using the original source number. Of the "10" sources, 4 of them are the same. P.S. That link doesn't work.
And so the question must be asked: Is the good doctor too lazy to do more research than the first page of Google or is there a lack of supporting evidence????
http://www.msgtruth.org/related.htm
The independent studies and neuro-scientific literature is much more weighty and backs up DR. Mercola more than the sources the MSG makers cite, which were paid for by the food industry.
My related research page lists real respected scientific journals and actual scientific studies that repeatedly reference "MSG-induced" obese rats, and the glutamate cascade, which is the basis for the Glutamate blocking drugs such as Memantine, and Topiramate - used to treat Alzheimer's and seizures respectively. It is a mounting pile of data that is hard for physicians to ignore anymore no matter how hard the industry tries to say there is "no evidence".
Thanks for the post!
Steve
Trust what your body is trying to tell you.
http://www.msgtruth.org/avoid.htm
http://www.hammernutrition.com/downloads/msg.pdf
One thing I have long wondered about MSG is if problems caused by MSG are the result of improper chirality.
Glutamate has a chiral center, and therefore two stereoisomers (left and right-handed versions). My understanding is that synthetic MSG contains a mixture of the two steoisomers (i.e., its "DL" MSG, instead of "L" MSG). The L form is the naturally occurring form. The D form is not natural and might be the cause of the problems. In DL MSG, the D and L forms would be present in equal amounts.
Here is a link of an MSG supplier. Its described as "DL" MSG. That means its a mixture of the two isomers.
http://www.ecplaza.net/tradeleads/seller/5907940/monosodium_glutamate.html
Dr Mercola, can you comment on this?
Only "L" MSG excites our taste buds. We can't taste "D" MSG. However, powered MSG is generally higher in "L" MSG than what you get via other paths (like meat, eggs, cheese, etc.)
So even here the chemistry doesn't support the idea that added MSG is somehow different than what is in our food to begin with.
The difference between L types and R types is why synthetic rubber doesn't decay the way natural rubber does. Natural rubber is only one type, while synthetic rubber contains a mix of both types. Bacteria can't break down the mix, only the natural type. If our bodies are being subjected to a substance even bacteria can't tolerate, it doesn't sound very healthy for us to me.