Why is MSG bad for you? (mono sodium glutamate)?

Question

Do the Chinese use it as much in China as it is used in Chinese food in UK? ta

Answer 1

It is bad because it is a chemical, its fake.

Answer 2

MSG is a flavor enhancer that accentuates "meatiness." It's a component of the proteins found in many foods, but critics say in its purified form it can be a potent neurotoxin, causing nerve cells literally to excite themselves to death. An alleged example of this is "Chinese restaurant syndrome." A half hour after eating MSG-laden soup, once a staple of budget Chinese cuisine, some people say they experience headaches, tightness of the chest, and a burning sensation. Researchers have had difficulty reproducing this in the lab, but the feds got so many complaints from the field they've issued tougher label requirements for MSG in meat and poultry and are thinking of doing the same for other foods.

MSG may also be harmful to babies, which is why it was yanked out of baby food 20 years ago. But MSG makers and some scientists hotly deny that MSG poses a threat to the average adult. If you want to avoid it, watch out for the term "natural flavoring" on ingredients labels. Until the rules are changed, that could be a camouflage for MSG.

Here in New Zealand it is banned completely I believe.

Answer 3

MSG IF taken in large quantities is harmful. The Chinese in China use natural ingredients.

Answer 4

The biggest misconception people have is that MSG is usually prevalent only in Asian cuisines.

Check your local american, italian, mexican, etc... restaurants, they all use MSG.

Answer 5

It is said to be carcinogenic.. It is a flavour enhancer. Try substituting a pinch of sugar. A tip I learnt doing a Chinese cookery course in Hong Kong

Answer 6

You're entirely wrong about MSG. Here's what it really means:Scenario: Englishman in DRS. Office.Doctor:"Your test results are back Mr. Poppy."Poppy: " What do I have Doctor?" Doctor: "Mono." Poppy: "What else?" Doctor: "High blood pressure." Poppy: "Why?" Doctor: "Sodium." Poppy: "Sodium? Why sodium?" Doctor: " Because you're a gluten------Mate." Hence: Mono,Sodium, Gluten, Mate.

Answer 7

MSG makes me itch like crazy, I hate the stuff.

But not as much as ASPARTAME!

Answer 8

To get a scientific based report on the intake of msg, may i suggest you log on to this site; the health education material has been reviewed favorably by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. I hope it provides an informed view about this subject.

http://www.ific.org/publications/brochur...

Answer 9

It's a common trigger for migraine headaches, for one thing.

Answer 10

Thanks for the link, erlish.  I'd alway learned that MSG was derived from natural foods (e.g. sugar beet) and is no more a "chemical" than is ordinary table salt (sodium chloride).  I have often read that it was used indiscriminately by many Chinese restaurants to improve the flavour of their food, but I believe this practice started to die out in the late 1970s as customers became more aware that it wasn't necessary and that some people were sensitive to it, and started demanding that it not be used.  I can remember many Chinese restaurants starting to proudly state on their menus that they used no MSG.

As for the old saying that you're always hungry an hour later after eating Chinese food, I had learned that the reason for that is Chinese food (properly cooked) is relatively low in fat, and it is the fat in food that creates a long-lasting feeling of fullness.  So if you've eaten something very low in fat, you won't feel full for very long.  I could be wrong, but that's what I learned.

Answer 11

It can cause cancer as they say!

Answer 12

MSG stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. As mentioned above, “You On A Diet” pointed this out, however on MSGTruth, it is made a bit clearer to me. You see, MSG stimulates the pancreas to release insulin into the blood stream even when there are not any carbohydrates in the dish for the insulin to act on.

Your blood sugar ends up dropping because of this flood of insulin, and then you end up hungry again an hour or so later. Reading this gave me a “Wow” moment because of that saying “No matter how much Chinese food you eat, you still end up hungry an hour later.” I never connected this with the additive MSG. This really gives you something to think about, especially if you are working on losing weight.

MSG tricks your body into thinking that the food you are eating is nutritious, even if it is not. The reason for this is that your taste buds detect the free glutamic acid that is in MSG. In “taste bud language”, this translates to “hey, there’s protein in this food I’m tasting!”. Therefore, your brain gets the signal that the food you are eating is actually nutritious, while more than likely, it is not.

Answer 13

For ME...???

Sorry you missed the boat..

I have had MSG (Ac'cent) in my pantry for Decades..

Now there is a lot of bad talk about it and food psychotics and nutritionist disparage it

So I ask what do you call a person that reacts to a very simple food??

Defective or Allergic>>??

and if someone has only bad to say and fails to really look at the whole world?? would you say bigot..

http://www.bgfoods.com/accent/accent_abo...

By the way Ac'cent is kosher...