somebody just told me i could be allergic to msg, what is this?

Question

and where can i get tested for this?

Answer 1

Babycakes.....that might possibly be true....at least having a sensitivity to at at least. I have one to that crap. Not sure what you're symptoms are kiddo. But stomach ache and the urgency to used the bathroom a lot are what triggers me to know that I just ate something with it in it. Simplest orginary snacks have it in their I'm finding....Doritos Chips and many other brands of chips...Beef Jerky a lot of the times, Salad Dressing....Hidden Valley Ranch for one! Campbells and others soups, though Campbell has come out with some that say. NO MSG right on the label. You're going to find that...if that ingredient is what's bothering you....you have to take the time to be a food ingredient reader when you go shopping...your tummy will thank you for it!
Some other things that are no-no's for me to eat. Cup of soup noodles, and those little packages of Ramon...The noodles are fine but it's the little packet that comes with it that I dump...you can then add boulion spices...and some of those be careful, cause that craps in them to...SOME don't have it! Buy that one!
Watch out for these other things....croutons, flavored sunflower seeds....Davids Jallepeno's Seeds are save, flavored corn nuts,
TV. dinners, prepared frozen meals, even some tunas or things with Hydrolyzed Veg. Protein have up to 20% of MSG added to them. Flavored Potatoes, rices, pastas.....welp lets just say.....
It it's man made......read the label kiddo! Here's so other info for you too....I know it's a lot....but save this to your computer in case you find anybody else that's having problems....it'll help them a lot!
Good luck to you
read the labels
To find out if you are bothered by it.....eat something that has it in it....an allergiest can also tell you if it's bothering you...
SmileyCat : )
Monosodium glutamate, sodium glutamate or E 621 (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry [IUPAC] name: 2-aminopentanedioic acid,2-aminoglutaric acid,1-aminopropane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid), commonly known as MSG or Vetsin, is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is a food additive, popularly marketed as a "flavor enhancer". In its pure form, it appears as a white crystalline powder; when dissolved in water (or saliva) it rapidly dissociates into free sodium and glutamate ions (glutamate is the anionic form of glutamic acid).

MSG triggers the (recently identified) taste buds which are sensitive to umami, one of the five basic tastes (the word umami is a loanword from Japanese; it is also sometimes referred to as "savoury" or "more-ish"). It is believed that "umami" taste buds respond specifically to certain amino acids (such as Glutamic acid) in the same way that "sweet" taste buds respond to sugars. Some say that MSG simply tricks the brain into believing food tastes better than it does, so that manufacturers can use less than acceptable ingredients.

Glutamic acid is one of the twenty amino acids that make up human proteins; it is critical for proper cell function, but not considered an essential nutrient because the body can manufacture it from simpler compounds. In addition to being one of the building blocks in protein synthesis, it is also important in brain function as an excitatory neurotransmitter. Free glutamate cannot cross a healthy person's blood-brain barrier in appreciable quantities; instead, it is converted into L-glutamine, which the brain uses for fuel and protein synthesis. Glutamic acid is also known to enhance mental concentration, help muscle recovery, and have other positive benefits.

Bound and unbound glutamate are found naturally in nearly every protein-rich food product, including seaweed, tomatoes, mushrooms, fermented soy products, yeast extracts, nuts, legumes, and most meat and dairy products. Yet, despite its ubiquity in common food products, the flavor contributions made by glutamate and other amino acids were only scientifically identified early in the twentieth century.

In 1907, Japanese researcher Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University identified brown crystals left behind after the evaporation of a large amount of kombu broth as glutamic acid. These crystals, when tasted, reproduced the ineffable but undeniable flavor he detected in many foods, most especially in seaweed. Professor Ikeda termed this flavor “umami." He then patented a method of mass-producing a crystalline form of glutamic acid, MSG [1].

MSG was first sold commercially under the Ajinomoto ("essence of taste"; 味の素) brand in Japan. Modern commercial MSG is produced by fermentation[2] of starch, sugar beet, sugar cane, or molasses. About 1.5 million metric tons were sold in 2001, with 4% annual growth expected.[3] . MSG is used commercially as an inexpensive source of extra flavor, and can be found in many snack foods, frozen dinners, and instant meals such as the seasoning mixtures for instant noodles.
Health concerns
There have been reports of allergies and/or sensitivities to MSG, sometimes attributed to the free glutamic acid component, which has been blamed for causing a wide variety of physical symptoms such as migraines, nausea, digestive upsets, drowsiness, heart palpitations, asthma, anaphylactic shock, and a myriad of other complaints. "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" is often used as an example of the symptoms purported to be caused by MSG.

However, a considerable amount of research and testing into MSG allergies has been performed over the past few decades, and the vast majority of controlled studies show no link at all between glutamate in food and any allergic reaction. Critics of the testing believe that the tests were unfairly biased towards finding no result. In particular, they consider flawed a 1993 study in which aspartame was used in the placebo, because aspartame itself has been accused of causing many of the same symptoms as MSG sensitivity in susceptible people. Some researchers have suggested that specific individuals might be hypersensitive to MSG while others are entirely unaffected by it, but no conclusive results have emerged to demonstrate the validity of this hypothesis. While the worries of the general public over the content of MSG in foods reached near hysterical levels in the 1980s, interest in the issue has since almost completely abated, and today there is generally very little concern over MSG content of foods. A notable exception is the UK's Co-operative Group, which, after customer consultation in May 2005, decided to ban MSG in all their own-brand food products.

There are also some small groups (particularly those in alternative medicine) who consider MSG to be a potent neurotoxin, yielding mass neurological retardation in affected populations. Although glutamate is an excitotoxin if certain neurons are exposed to very high doses, and can be used to produce an obesity syndrome in rats, [4], [5], the idea that it has any comparable effects in its normal use as a food additive is looked upon by mainstream scientists as being pseudoscientific since there is no conclusive scientific data that support the claims, only the growing problem of obesity in the United States.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists monosodium glutamate as "generally recognized as safe", along with salt, vinegar, baking powder, and sodium tripolyphosphate.

Food products from Australia and New Zealand may refer to MSG as "flavour enhancer 621". The EU food additive code for MSG is E621. The HS code of monosodium glutamate is 29224220. The free glutamic acid component of MSG may also be present in a wide variety of other additives, including hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, soy extracts, and natural flavourings.

Incase you want to do more research....here's some links!
http://www.directfood.net/bluediamond/images/professor_kikunae_ikeda.jpg
http://www.holisticmed.com/msg/msg-mark.txt
http://www.msgmyth.com/
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/msg.html
http://www.nomsg.com/
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/
http://msgtruth.org
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/mediareleasespublications/publications/shoppersguide/index.cfm
http://www.vitacost.com/science/hn/Supp/Glutamic_Acid.htm
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,9950,1522368,00.html
http://www.food-info.net/uk/intol/msg.htm

Answer 2

MSG sensitivity (sometimes known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”) is a set of symptoms that may occur in some people after they consume monosodium glutamate (MSG). The syndrome was first described in 1968 as a triad of symptoms: “numbness at the back of the neck radiating to both arms and the back, general weakness and palpitations.”1 Although some Chinese (and other) restaurants now avoid the use of MSG, many still use significant amounts.

MSG is used worldwide as a flavour enhancer. The average person living in an industrialized country consumes about 0.3 to 1.0 gram of MSG per day. MSG is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as “generally recognized as safe.” Indeed, many researchers have questioned the very existence of a true MSG-sensitivity reaction. Most clinical trials, including some double-blind trials, have failed to find any symptoms arising from consumption of MSG, even large amounts, when taken with food. However, clinical trials have found that MSG taken without food may cause symptoms, though rarely the classic “triad” described above. A large trial and a review of studies on MSG both suggested that large amounts of MSG given without food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in people who believe they react adversely to MSG. However, persistent and serious effects from MSG consumption have not been consistently demonstrated.

People sensitive to MSG may also react to aspartame (NutraSweet®)

More information here ... http://www.solgar.co.uk/healthnotes/healthnotes.asp?org=boots&ContentID=1238005

Answer 3

well everyone else seems to have the msg part covered they are all right, but msg is a nasty little ingredient consider yourself lucky that your allergic to it. msg is what a person would add to their food if they want you to pig out. because msg has a way of shutting off the biological switch inside you that says you have had enough of this. so with msg you continously eat and feel the same hunger when you started. this is how some companies can get away with saying "bet you cant eat just one!"

Answer 4

msg (monosodium glutomate) (E621) Flavour enhancer. Looks like salt, can be bought in chinese supermarkets and is used in cooking for MANY savoury foods.

it's an artificially modified potato starch which fires up taste buds on the tongue and makes food taste more-ish. It was also shown as a bad food risk in the states around about the year 2000 and all food packaging was forced to display it's content.

On a personal note tho, if I eat msg at 6:00pm, I guarantee I will throw up at about 2am (8 hours later) and the water in the toilet bowl will have a white scummy surface for about 3 flushes after.

This is odd, because I used to eat LOADS of things like pot noodles, flavoured crisps etc when I was younger with no problems. I can only assume that I have become intolerant OR that they only started adding it in vast quantities about 6 years ago.

The good news is that many manufacturers have started taking MSG OUT of products. These include CO-OP own brand crisps, Marks & Spencer own brand crisps, Tesco own brand crisps.

THANKS MANUFACTURERS, KEEP TAKING IT OUT!!!!

Answer 5

monosodium glutamate. It's in anything with flavourings. They use it a lot in Chinese food.

It's a yeast extract. Some people have too much bacteria in their gut and when they eat MSG it acts rather like yeast in bread. Their stomach becomes very bloated and it can cause digestion and....lets say toilet problems.

If you cut out all yeast and anything that feeds yeast (sugar,anything live like mushrooms, cheese) for a month, your body should put itself right and you'll be a lot better. And lose a lot of weight. I did it. I could eat as much meat, fish, potato(chips, plain crisps) vegetables as I liked and I lost a stone(14 lbs) a month.

I got tested at Holland and barrett (health food shop)

Answer 6

MSG overstimulates brain cell activity. MSG actually tricks your brain into thinking the food you are eating tastes good Higher profits and low-quality products of little nutritional value prevail at the expense of consumer health.MSG intolerance is not an allergic reaction, but a powerful drug reaction. Even in those people who do not suffer acute, immediate reactions to the substance, prolonged or acute exposure will destroy brain cells in anyone.Restaurants also frequently add MSG to their menu items.

Answer 7

MonoSodium Glutamate

Answer 8

MSG are Monosodium Glutamates, you would find them in some crisps, chinese food and takeaways, I'm allergic to them as well, they make me sick if I eat too much of them, if you look at the back of any packaging for things like Pot Noodle or curry sauces and the like you will find them listed in the ingredients

Answer 9

Monosodium glutamate, known in Asia as essence of flavour. Many processed foods contain it. Chinese food is full of it. Many people are allergic.

Answer 10

It is Monosodium Glutumate. It is a food preservative. Some health food shops do testing for allergys, but you would probably be better off going to your doctor for advice.

Answer 11

MonoSodium Glutamate and is Found in Almost every Processed Food....