Monosodium glutamate?

Question

Why is MSG considered toxic or allergenic? Since it is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, shouldn't it release glutamic acid upon reacting with stomach HCl? Isn't glutamic acid a natural and required amino acid?

Answer 1

Because MSG is absorbed very quickly (unlike glutamic acid-containing proteins in foods), MSG could spike blood plasma levels of glutamate. Glutamic acid is in a class of chemicals known as excitotoxins, high levels of which have been shown in 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.

The debate among scientists on the significance of these findings has been raging since the early 1970s.

The debate is complex and has focused on several areas:

Whether the increase in plasma glutamate levels from typical ingestion levels of MSG is enough to cause neurotoxicity in one dose or over time.
Whether humans are susceptible to the neurotoxicity from glutamic acid seen in some animal experiments. It is known that the glutamate ion is important in memory retrieval in humans.
Whether neurotoxicity from excitotoxins is caused by the combined effect of glutamic acid and other excitotoxins such as aspartic acid from aspartame.

Answer 2

You are absolutely right. However, glutamic acid is not an essential amino acid, because the body can make it from oxalosuccinic acid, which is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, the Krebs cycle. The important thing is, "Nothing in excess." If one adds glutamic acid alone, apart from a protein, like salt from a salt shaker, then certain persons can have a reaction. One can buy glutamic acid as a food supplement in stores. If you enjoy it, sprinkle some on. It was originally devised to make food more "mouth watering."

Answer 3

I cannot really comment on the chemical aspect of it, but personally do not think it should be considered toxic or allergenic, at least not too most people.

I was born and raised in Asia and ate MSG in pretty much each and every meal for 23 years there (to add flavor to the food). My parents, grand parents, neighbors all ate it too. Nobody I know ever became sick because of it. I only became aware of the "health" concerns about it after I came to the U.S. about ten years ago.

I personally doubt that MSG is more toxic than the apples and peaches we eat that have fertilizers on them. It may be allergenic to some; but some people are even allergic to peanuts!

Many, if not most, Asian food restaurants in the U.S. use MSG, though they may claim otherwise. After eating it for the first 23 years of my life, I could distinctly tell whether they added it or not. But the point is that I have not heard of adverse health effect from even those most frequent eaters of Asian food.

One observation -- MSG has been an ingredient of many flavors of Planters Peanuts (in bottles and cans). However, it seems to have disappeared from the ingredients list in the past couple of years.

Answer 4

that's a obviously-occurring salt of sodium that's cutting-edge in truly intense concentration in tomatoes and parmesan cheese, and changed into once called basically "seasoning salt" at the same time as remoted for kitchen or table use, yet contained in the Nineteen Seventies (at the same time as the FDA in us of a began to require chemical labeling of ingredients) it began being called "mono-sodium glutamate" or "MSG", and really mysteriously human beings all started having "reactions" to it. even better mysteriously, almost not one of the human beings who declare they could't devour chinese nutrition with MSG in it have any mission with Italian nutrition! Double-blind study the position human beings devour countless ingredients they are informed do (or do not) comprise MSG, and which do (or do not) really comprise it, variously, the actual incontrovertible fact that they imagine that's "in there" looks to play a a concepts better substantial function in even if or not they have a "reaction" than even if that's really there or not!