The Myth of MSG

[shaurene]

I read about a test done by a food guy,he took people to restaurants who suffer in ways after having food with MSG added. All the foods in the restaurant were served with no MSG added, some of the people suffered fromMSG intake after and it was found that the food they ordered contained it's own MSG.

[anon467367354]

I know that table salt is not just pure NaCl or sodium chloride but a mix of NaCl stripped of it's nutrients with a host of chemicals added to it.

Interestingly enough, on this page about salt, MSG is mentioned and not in a good light at all.

very enlightening article here:

http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/115-the-truth-about-table-salt-and-the-chemical-industry.html

"In the ultimate heart-health irony, low sodium products often contain monosodium glutamate, a sodium-based excitotoxin that causes heart attacks in people who do not have enough magnesium (from organic vegetables and sea salt). It is probably the most common reason for mysterious heart failures in young athletes, who simply fall-over dead at sporting events. The profuse sweating imbalances their electrolytes even further, to become the final straw on the camel's back."

[Somnambulist]

Sealbash -- the Mayo Clinic does not say MSG is not harmful. Perhaps you should read the link you provided.

I read the link. Mayo Clinic does not say that MSG is harmful. It says some people have reactions. A few people have allergic reactions, even some women become allergic to their own progesterone giving rise to severe rashes, hives and difficulty breathings. Similarly, some people are allergic to shell fish, and nuts.

MSG is considered to be a natural food substance as it is derived from seaweed.

If you consume too much of anything you will die, even by simply drinking too much water.

Some restaurants and road side stalls put too much salt, sugar and MSG in their food and these places are too be avoided.

The factory processed form of MSG has rearranged molecules. That is NOT natural.

[gazzasore]

Truth about MSG: Safe or Toxic? Cause Weight Gain, Overeating? M...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zVGKldKKo4

[SageYoung]

C'mon folks, do you really need a "expert" to tell you what you're body tells you if you stop long enough to listen?

BTW any cook who needs an artificial flavor enhancer isn't very expert in use of spices.

[Maggusoil]

Proof?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Can't say i've ever heard of anybody getting sick from consuming MSG.

Hold on ! this link is full of websites,pointing out the Dangers of MSG

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=msg+sickness&rlz=1C1CHFX_en-GBGB549GB549&oq=msg+si&aqs=chrome.4.69i57j0l5.14897j0j4&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

The main problem is: it's in such wide use as a food additive that it would take a lot of finding out which foods contain it,that it would be a big job to find out just how much of it we are really eating?

Some people are allergic to it and it is nearly always used in Asian cooking. I don't know about Thailand.

There was a fatality in Australia a few years ago attributed to an MSG allergy.

Most of us that eat Asian are eating it all the time.

My ex-wife (Indonesian) has been adding it to the food behind my back for twenty years.

I'm not sick yet, but some people swear its bad for you.

[HUAHIN62]

Do reseach and see if you can find any scientific proof of harmful side effects. All the studies I could find showed that no side effects could scientificaly be proven. To test yourself do a blind taste test. Let someone prepared the same dish split it in half and add MSG to one pot. Then divide each pot into 3 dishes, number each dish and keep track which one have MSG and which one not. Eat each dish 1 hour from each other. If any side effects is experienced note it and wait for it to disappear before eating more dishes. Afterwards its easy to correlate the MSG dishes with any side effects. I did this with my daughter who said she is MSG intollerant after the experiment she was cured as she had side effects of the dishes with no MSG in them. MSG have been used in Asia for many years (including Japan and Korea) and if there where bad side effects or health issues it would have popped up.

[unanimosity]

Do you eat sodium chloride? Is that "food"? Monosodium glutamate is just another salt, just like sodium chloride ("table salt") is. In moderation, it adds flavor to food. In excess, like anything, it's bad.

We "criminalize" MSG in English by insisting on referring to it by its chemical name. Why don't we do that with table salt? In all Asian languages, MSG has a name (not a chemical one), as do all spices.

It especially irks me to hear Westerners getting all huffy at Asian restaurants insisting that no MSG be put in their food, and then going home and eating potato chips, commercial salad dressing, virtually any commercial processed "savory" Western food, all of which have LOADS of MSG in them.

You and those like you are absolutely correct. MSG isn't harmful, neither are peanuts, gluten, and lactose. You can look all those up an find there is nothing wrong with them either. But if you happen to be allergic to any of these it is a different story. Guaranfreakinteed! Just consider yourselves lucky.

[SICHONSTEVE]

C'mon folks, do you really need a "expert" to tell you what you're body tells you if you stop long enough to listen?

BTW any cook who needs an artificial flavor enhancer isn't very expert in use of spices.

Very good point!!!

The reason that food manufacturers include it is because they strip out all of the nutrients, flavour, fiber and minerals in the processing and they try to add a bit (of flavour) back in with MSG NB: all of the others are gone for good.

I only have food that is prepared at home for me and when in a restaurant I avoid the types of foods (if any actually contain it) that could potentially have it in.

I think that Chinese food is the biggest proponent of this unnecessary ingredient - as you say, spices are more than adequate at imparting taste and they are extremely healthy for you (no question about that).

[Water Buffalo]

Do you eat sodium chloride? Is that "food"? Monosodium glutamate is just another salt, just like sodium chloride ("table salt") is. In moderation, it adds flavor to food. In excess, like anything, it's bad.

We "criminalize" MSG in English by insisting on referring to it by its chemical name. Why don't we do that with table salt? In all Asian languages, MSG has a name (not a chemical one), as do all spices.

It especially irks me to hear Westerners getting all huffy at Asian restaurants insisting that no MSG be put in their food, and then going home and eating potato chips, commercial salad dressing, virtually any commercial processed "savory" Western food, all of which have LOADS of MSG in them.

Isn't it that "Gootamed" stuff they like to put in everything? I tried some of that on it's own. Disgusting. I can't imagine what good taste it could bring to a dish.

[Ulic]

A friend gave me some advice years ago, "avoid the white death" salt, sugar, cocaine.

Everything else is OK. Never worried about MSG

[sevenhills]

MSG is a poison worse than cigarettes and Alcohol. You may want to do a little more research.

Here is 1 of many links that will confirm that it is indeed extremely bad for your body.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/msg-is-this-silent-killer-lurking-in-your-kitchen-cabinets.aspx

https://www.google.com.au/#q=msg

Or are you just Trolling?

[unanimosity]

C'mon folks, do you really need a "expert" to tell you what you're body tells you if you stop long enough to listen?

BTW any cook who needs an artificial flavor enhancer isn't very expert in use of spices.

Very good point!!!

The reason that food manufacturers include it is because they strip out all of the nutrients, flavour, fiber and minerals in the processing and they try to add a bit (of flavour) back in with MSG NB: all of the others are gone for good.

I only have food that is prepared at home for me and when in a restaurant I avoid the types of foods (if any actually contain it) that could potentially have it in.

I think that Chinese food is the biggest proponent of this unnecessary ingredient - as you say, spices are more than adequate at imparting taste and they are extremely healthy for you (no question about that).

In Thai restaurants you can request "mai sai pon chu lat" to have them leave the MSG out if possible. In soups and curries it is already added. The reason to make the request is so they don't sprinkle it on like salt near the end of preparation. It seem less intense when added early and has time to break down in the cooking process.

Agree with the point that only an inept cook unfamiliar with seasonings or too cheap or too lazy to prepare food with Right Concentration, as in Buddha's Eightfold Path, would rely on a shortcut to trick the palate.

[Sealbash]

Sealbash -- the Mayo Clinic does not say MSG is not harmful. Perhaps you should read the link you provided.

I am supposed to actually read the links I post? Lesson learned.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[bigbearjohn]

See: http://voices.yahoo.com/monosodium-glutamate-msg-addiction-never-knew-648474.html

[Andre0720]

OP is a bit IGNORANT like most thais or people in general...

msg's only role is to give food that has no taste (mcdonals, saucages, chinese food, etc...) some taste that people will continue to eat/buy

it has been related to BRAIN FOG

and holes in the brain mass

the food industry found this additive and since then they could sell low grade food and up it a bit with some taste & fake flavor

educate yourself before you post some trash info

Brain fog He!

The way you write...seems like someone has ben feeding you some of that...hehehe Just kidding...

Here is some info on this subject. but I would guess you already know a lot more about this than any studies....

MSG: Is monosodium glutamate safe?

MSG: three little letters that amount to a four-letter word in the world of nutrition. It's hard to think of any other ingredient that can stir up as much controversy as MSG. But does MSG really deserve its notorious rep? Since it's one of the most extensively researched food items, we know a few things about this infamous ingredient.

What is MSG?

MSG (short for monosodium glutamate) is a type of flavouring added to some pre-packaged foods, such as soups, canned vegetables, and processed meats. People also add it to enhance the flavour of foods such as poultry, seafood, and vegetable dishes. It is also a popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine.

Glutamates are naturally occurring amino acids that are present in protein-rich foods. If you eat mushrooms, fish, seaweed, tomatoes, or certain types of cheese, you're likely ingesting some amount of natural glutamate. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamate, consisting of glutamate, sodium, and water.

Both glutamates and MSG possess a unique flavour many find quite pleasing. It's not sweet, not sour, not bitter, and not salty. It's actually umami, the elusive "fifth taste" that many researchers believe our tongue is especially designed to taste. Umami could be described as savoury, broth-like, and somewhat meaty.

Why does MSG have a negative reputation?

Soon after dining at a Chinese restaurant back in 1968, Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok experienced a cluster of physical symptoms, notably numbness in his neck and a sense of pressure in his face and upper chest muscles. He dubbed his symptoms "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" (CRS).

Since then, many people have described these and other symptoms - flushing, headache, sweating - after eating foods containing MSG. CRS has gone by several other names: hot dog headache, glutamate-induced asthma, MSG Symptom Complex, and MSG syndrome, to name a few.

Whatever it is called, post-MSG symptoms are rarely serious and usually go away without requiring treatment. If symptoms escalate to serious chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness or breath, or a swelling of the throat, immediate medical attention should be sought.

So, is MSG safe?

Over the years, extensive research has failed to establish a definite link between MSG and these symptoms. The World Health Organization deemed the flavouring safe for consumption.

Concerns that MSG could be unsafe for infants and pregnant or nursing women were also disproved. As it turns out, babies metabolize glutamate the same way adults do, and it cannot pass through the placental barrier to affect a developing fetus.

What can I do if I'm sensitive to MSG?

Despite the safety assurances, there are people who are sensitive to MSG. Eating foods containing the flavouring may trigger a hypersensitive reaction or allergic-type reactions in some (even though MSG is not considered an allergen).

For that reason, Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration both require that MSG be listed on food labels when it is added as an ingredient. It cannot be hidden behind ambiguous names like "spices" or "natural flavouring."

No limit has been set on how much MSG can be added to food, but Health Canada says that it should be added at levels consistent with Good Manufacturing Practice. This means that MSG should be added in the smallest possible amount needed to enhance flavour.

So, if you have experienced post-MSG reactions, check food labels and, when you dine out, ask about the MSG content of restaurant meals.

What about the rumours that MSG makes you fat?

There is currently no clear scientific evidence leading to the conclusion that consuming MSG-containing foods causes obesity in humans. However, scientists continually examine the effects of MSG.

For example, a recent study implies that consuming MSG may be linked with an increased risk of being overweight. Sparked by animal studies that showed a link between MSG and excess weight gain, scientists at the University of North Carolina decided to track its effects on human obesity. Researchers chose to look at 752 healthy Chinese people living in rural villages, since much of their diet consisted of fresh, unprocessed food prepared at home.

What researchers noticed was that obesity was much more common among those villagers who added MSG to their food than among those who avoided the flavouring. This correlation persisted even after ruling out other reasons for weight differences, like how active villagers were or how many calories they consumed daily. The study is far from conclusive, and shows a correlation, not a causation (it may be, for instance, that those more prone to obesity were also more prone to dietary habits

[starshiptrooper]

ITT scared Americans hype their fear of MSG.

[manarak]

threads like this always have a large number of posts that make me laugh and feel sad at the same time!

[Andre0720]

threads like this always have a large number of posts that make me laugh and feel sad at the same time!

Hummm

MSG makes gets you confused...happy or sad...not sure???

[Andre0720]

threads like this always have a large number of posts that make me laugh and feel sad at the same time!

You could have the same post for all posts on TV.

Simply because your post means nothing...

Can I borrow it sometimes...

I could then increase my post count even when I have nothing to say...

[nachiket]

My wife is a food scientist with 13+ years experience and she strictly warned me not to feed any such food with MSG added in it to our baby?

Are you expert of that level?

If so, kindly elaborate.

[SageYoung]

Checkout "Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills"

Then listen to your own body for $%^& sake. If you listen it's gonna tell you just how disruptive MSG is to your nervous system.

But you won't feel it unless you stay away from it for a week or 2, then go back to it.

Do your own expirment here folks. Don't rely on the talking heads or the so called "experts" all with their own agendas.

Edited November 13, 2013 by SageYoung

[tw25rw]

Do you eat sodium chloride? Is that "food"? Monosodium glutamate is just another salt, just like sodium chloride ("table salt") is. In moderation, it adds flavor to food. In excess, like anything, it's bad.

We "criminalize" MSG in English by insisting on referring to it by its chemical name. Why don't we do that with table salt? In all Asian languages, MSG has a name (not a chemical one), as do all spices.

It especially irks me to hear Westerners getting all huffy at Asian restaurants insisting that no MSG be put in their food, and then going home and eating potato chips, commercial salad dressing, virtually any commercial processed "savory" Western food, all of which have LOADS of MSG in them.

Salt is food. It's a vital nutrient. Is MSG? Do we derive any nutritional benefit from it?

Salt is not a food!! Neither is it a vital nutrient. It is an essential mineral.

It is needed by the body though in order to fascilitate a multitude of vital functions particularly those relating to blood health and hydration of the blood in particular to moderate blood pressure (it is an electrolyte).

OK Mr Pedantic. It belongs in food. It belongs in the body. It should be part of the diet. Even if not in the quantities we have been accustomed to consuming.

[tw25rw]

One thing I can tell you for sure.

Sodium is Salt !!

A lot of readers on here on getting on a bit, and high blood pressure, liver problems are common place. Salt, or Sodium, is bad for both.

If it is defined in the packaging you should read itr and avoid it.

The problem is restaurants.

I have liver problems, and when I go into a restaurant I specificly tell them NO MSG in my food..

Whether the other chemicals in it are bad for you I dont know. Your choice.

Salt is a sodium and chlorine compound. The body uses both. Too much sodium is a problem and most people do eat more than they need.

[wellred]

So does this stuff just come out of a bottle? How do we know what restaurants do and don't use it? Fortunately most of the Thai food I eat over here is cooked by myself. So the only good I eat in Thailand is when I'm over there for a few weeks a year. I think it would probably put a damper on my trip to go round asking if my food had any msg.

[tim armstrong]

I just love conspiracy theories. If your countries' western style food industry was being threatened by an 'Asian' takeover of cheap, filling, fresh and generally healthy food, and your local shopping centre was suddenly awash with Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese restaurants - would you be worried ? So why not find something wrong with the food ?

Sound familiar. What about the anti dairy lobby, or the anti beef, or pork lobby. Funny I haven't yet heard about chicken or fish, except for KFC. As far as I can tell there has never been ONE reliably documented case of a human dying from eating MSG.

[Estrada]

I just love conspiracy theories. If your countries' western style food industry was being threatened by an 'Asian' takeover of cheap, filling, fresh and generally healthy food, and your local shopping centre was suddenly awash with Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese restaurants - would you be worried ? So why not find something wrong with the food ?

Sound familiar. What about the anti dairy lobby, or the anti beef, or pork lobby. Funny I haven't yet heard about chicken or fish, except for KFC. As far as I can tell there has never been ONE reliably documented case of a human dying from eating MSG.

Don't forget the "Fruitarians"! They believe that fruits have feelings, so they will only eat fruit that has fallen from the tree or bush. Personally, I only eat vegetarians, such as cows, pigs, and lamb.

[Farma]

I'm sensitive to MSG now and can tell if a dish has an abundance of it. Typical symptoms is an instant headache and very dry mouth. In moderation I don't have a problem.

I never had a problem with it until one hungover morning when I accidentally added 2 teaspoons of MSG instead of sugar to my coffee.

I seem to recall years ago MSG was touted as the cause of Chinese restaurant syndrome. Then reports came out saying soy sauce was believed to be the cause.

[xylophone]

I just love conspiracy theories. If your countries' western style food industry was being threatened by an 'Asian' takeover of cheap, filling, fresh and generally healthy food, and your local shopping centre was suddenly awash with Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese restaurants - would you be worried ? So why not find something wrong with the food ?

Sound familiar. What about the anti dairy lobby, or the anti beef, or pork lobby. Funny I haven't yet heard about chicken or fish, except for KFC. As far as I can tell there has never been ONE reliably documented case of a human dying from eating MSG.

Quote: "cheap, filling, fresh and generally healthy food"

Surely you can't be describing Thai food? When prepared well by some of the finest chefs in the land, maybe, however much of the food served in small restaurants, food shops and from the stores and carts is absolutely pitiful........... meat which consists mostly of fat, old and unhealthy cooking oils, lots of additives, unhygienic handling and so on make it a bit of a lottery.

Also look in the supermarkets for the pork balls, vacuum packed in their good-looking plastic, and then ask yourself if it looks anything like pork, especially the colour, which is grey. The reason being that a huge percentage of the "pork ball" is fat.

Then consider the herbicides and pesticides which are used with gay abandon by the farmers, and which a recent report suggested many fruit and vegetables here had way above the amount considered healthy.

Quote: "The Thai Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN) and respected consumer magazine Chaladsue reported that large amounts of vegetables assessed at Bangkok's fresh markets and supermarkets and on the pickup trucks that make the rounds of housing estates are contain a significant amount of pesticides. Even nicely packaged vegetables bearing "Safe" and "Quality" logos were deemed unsafe because of pesticide residue.

Tests were conducted on cabbages, broccoli, water morning glory, parsley, yard-long beans and bird chilli peppers collected at random from supermarkets, the Pracha Nivet and Huay Kwang markets and mobile markets. Some of the packaging carried the Q-for-quality logo.

Thai-PAN said the Huay Kwang produce showed the highest concentrations of pesticides in all kinds of vegetables, at an alarming 202 times the amount of chemicals allowed by European guidelines.

The risk of contamination varies according to the vegetable, with parsley topping the danger list. Tests on the herb revealed five types of pesticide, including Carbofuran, Chlopyrifos, EPN and Methidathion, at levels up to 102 times higher than the European limit. Yard-long beans and bird's-eye chillies came second and third, respectively. All of these chemicals are harmful to the health, threatening long-term effects and even acute poisoning if the concentration is high enough. Just three drops of EPN or a teaspoon of carbofuran can be fatal".

Thai food healthy........... not a chance.

Edited November 15, 2013 by xylophone

[tim armstrong]

For sure there is an overuse of pesticides. But surprisingly good fish still come from the canals besides the rice paddies, and whatever Thais are doing, they are not obese, except for mainly young people growing ever more used to fast food. If you go to any market ( there are many) near our house, the food is fresher than any supermarket food, which takes at least 3 days to get there. I have only once in 13 years been sick from street food, and we knew we shouldn't eat there, but were very hungry.

Thais are also living longer, but maybe that's the preservatives. But I would agree that food quality in BKK has declined over the years, as has the air quality, again. I would rather eat fresh vegetables here than in Oz (and I never thought I'd say that) At least here everything isn't homogenised, and GMT'd to death. Fresh meat, - well yes its a challenge. My 2 complaints would be too much sugar and chilli.