MSG

The sodium salt of glutamate (monosodium glutamate; MSG) imparts a savory/meaty taste to foods, and has been used as a flavoring agent for millennia. Past research on MSG/glutamate has evaluated its physiologic, metabolic and behavioral actions, and its safety. Ingested MSG has been found to be safe, and to produce no remarkable effects, except on taste. However, some recent epidemiologic and animal studies have associated MSG use with obesity and aberrations in fat metabolism. Reported effects are usually attributed to direct actions of ingested MSG in brain...

BACKGROUND: A single intake of monosodium glutamate (MSG) may cause headache and increased muscle sensitivity. We conducted a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study to examine the effect of repeated MSG intake on spontaneous pain, mechanical sensitivity of masticatory muscles, side effects, and blood pressure. METHODS: Fourteen healthy subjects participated in 5 daily sessions for one week of MSG intake (150 mg/kg) or placebo (24 mg/kg NaCl) (randomized, double-blinded)...

: Please see related articles and author responses: https://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/9/1/50https://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/10/1/10https://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/10/1/13 ABSTRACT: The article entitled "Monosodium glutamate (MSG) intake is associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a rural Thai population", concluded that higher amounts of individual's MSG consumption are associated with the risk of having the metabolic syndrome and being overweight independent of other major determinants...