What are supposed to be the bad health effects of eating MSG?

Answer 1

There have been numerous studies of allergies and/or sensitivities to MSG, 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, hair loss, asthma, anaphylactic shock, rapidly increasing diabetes, and many other complaints. "Chinese restaurant syndrome" is often used as an example of the symptoms purported to be caused by MSG.

An unknown percentage of the population may react to MSG and develop MSG symptom complex, a condition characterized by one or more of the following symptoms:

burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest
numbness in the back of the neck, radiating to the arms and back
tingling, warmth and weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms
facial pressure or tightness
chest pain
headache
nausea
rapid heartbeat
weak pulse
violent dreams
bronchospasm (difficulty breathing) in MSG-intolerant people with asthma
drowsiness
weakness.

In otherwise healthy MSG-intolerant people, the MSG symptom complex tends to occur within one hour after eating 3 grams or more of MSG on an empty stomach or without other food. A typical serving of glutamate-treated food contains less than 0.5 grams of MSG. A reaction is most likely if the MSG is eaten in a large quantity or in a liquid, such as a clear soup.
Severe, poorly controlled asthma may be a predisposing medical condition for MSG symptom complex.
No evidence suggests that dietary MSG or glutamate contributes to Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, AIDS dementia complex, or any other long-term or chronic diseases.

No evidence suggests that dietary MSG causes brain lesions or damages nerve cells in humans, but there is in infant mice.
The level of vitamin B6 in a person's body plays a role in glutamate metabolism, and the possible impact of marginal B6 intake should be considered in future research.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the levels of glutamate in hydrolyzed proteins causes adverse effects; ie. that manufactured glutamate has effects different from glutamate normally found in foods.

MSG has been used in newborn laboratory mice to induce adult obesity because of the lesions that it provokes in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of newborn babies doesn't resemble the one of neonate mice, therefore, as in adults, glutamate has a low penetration level in the central nervous system. Only the luminal membrane of the blood-brain barrier contains facilitative carriers for glutamine and glutamate. In fact, the amount of free glutamate in breast milk is one of the highest among other mammals besides the chimpanzee.

Glutamic acid is an amino acid commonly found in foods. Because MSG is absorbed very quickly (unlike glutamic acid-containing proteins in foods), it is known that MSG could spike blood plasma levels of glutamate. Glutamic acid is in a class of chemicals known as excitotoxins. Abnormally high levels of excitotoxins have been shown in hundreds of animal studies to cause damage to areas of the brain unprotected by the blood brain barrier and that a variety of chronic diseases can arise out of this neurotoxicity.

Answer 2

I don't think that MSG has any bad health effects on msg-tolerant populations. Most of the Indian subcontinent cooks with MSG - its a flavor enhancer, sort of like salt. The majority of processed soups and other processed canned foods contain msg. You have probably been eating tons of it and don't even realize it. Look up "names of msg" on google and you will find that there are tons of names for it or tons of things it is in.

Its sort of like peanut allergy -- not that many are really allergic to it, but those who are get really sick.

Answer 3

A lot of people of great answers. It's funny how MSG is so feared in the West but in reality, it's in most packaged food and many companies use it in potato chips and many other flavorings. The hype is scarier than reality. Because it's used quite regularly in Asia, it's not made at all a big deal of...because it's not as common to use as salt in the West, people start to freak out. Food is actually a lot tastier with MSG and forms of it are found naturally in a lot of foods like aged cheeses, mushrooms, meat...

Answer 4

One or two bowls a day isn't bad at all as long as you eat other foods during the day. I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast and frequently one at night for a snack. Cereal isn't a complete, balanced food. You are denying your body of other nutrients found in vegetables and meat. You could be 'starving' yourself to death, eventually. I love cereal too, but I can't survive on it. Even the most complete cereal (like Special K) or any other food isn't as complete as their advertising says it is. Examples: 1 cup contains 4% of your daily fiber needs. You need 25 cups to get 100% of your fiber. But those 25 cups will cause you to get 200% of your recommended carbohydrate for the day and about 220% of your maximum sodium intake. Along with the good, comes the bad.

Answer 5

My Dad has severe allergies to MSG. He goes into anaphylactic shock.

Answer 6

msg is not acually bad for you, most of the food you eat has way more msg then is put on/in it.

Answer 7

don't forget that MSG is also call autolized yeast. Just in case your into reading lables and is used to stabalize most prepackaged foods. It's hard to avoid.

Answer 8

Some people have reactions to monosodium glutomate.
Any un natural ingredient isn't good for the body, especially in large amounts!

Answer 9

the others have good answers already.

MSG is poison if used in huge quantity. Small quantities can cause death in cats and dogs.

Answer 10

Headaches and an upset stomach.