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  1. Monosodium Glutamate: Safer than Salt
  2. “The most dangerous untruths are truths moderately distorted,”--these are the words of George Christoph Lichtenberg, a prolific 18th century German scientist, physicist, and satirist (Gerog). This quote cuts to the heart of why the purported health “controversy” over monosodium glutamate (MSG) irritates the ever living shit out of me.
  3. For a long time I didn’t know anything about MSG, even though I had been eating it for years. It wasn’t until I started cooking traditional Japanese food with an exchange student that I learned of it. The MSG came in a small air tight container from which we took portions during the preparation of what would be many meals. Meal after meal this magical salt seemed to bring out the flavor in everything. It was a new type of taste that I hadn’t yet experienced; Instant salivation, savory full strange sensations—amazing! My cohort chided me and said it was called “unami” which roughly translates to “pleasant savory taste.” And so I bought my own package and occasionally substituted MSG when sautéing mushrooms, and preparing soups that called for a salt additive in the broth. Not too long after this I prepared a meal for a friend who refused to eat the portion of the meal that contained MSG. She explained that it was dangerous. I wasn’t quite convinced, but I didn’t press the issue.
  4. Days later I decided to do my own research and found that MSG was not only safe, it was quite literally safer than table salt or “sodium chloride”. That is, if you took enough salt to give you a 50% chance of dying, you would need five times that amount in MSG to have the same probability of death (Walker). I also found that there existed a seemingly endless number studies that found absolutely no connection between negative effects and consuming MSG even at large doses. How could a substance so unambiguously safe be so misunderstood that people fear harm from eating it? Let alone a substance as remarkable as MSG.
  5. In this paper I am going to not only show you the history of MSG in the United States, I’m going to give you a run-down on what MSG actually is and how it was discovered, and provide you with the knowledge you need to undo the untruth of killer MSG.
  6. Before I continue it is important to define what MSG actually is. It might surprise you to know that MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is actually not the only substance that has this ‘unami’ taste. The source is actually a non-essential amino acid called glutamatic acid that is produced within the body naturally that plays a role within the central nervous system (McEntee). MSG is simply this glutamic acid dissolved and suspended in sodium salt. Glutamic acid can actually be suspended in in salts such as calcium, potassium, ammonium, and magnesium (Lindermann). It is simply the fact that glutamate has been found to be most palatable when combined with sodium salt to create monosodium glutamate.
  7. The taste “unami,” as derived from glutamate has been using in cooking since at least roman times where it is known to have been used in fish sauces (Smriga). Although for thousands of years the source of the unami flavor that occurs naturally in many foods, such as marmite, salmon, pork, grape juice, clams, tomatoes, and even corn, was unknown (“Monosodium Glutamate: A Safety Assessment”). It was not until 1908 that the source was found to be glutamate by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese scientist. Since then there has been a slow creep of MSG into our diet (Lindermann).
  8. Beginning in 1959 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took interest in classifying MSG’s safety as a food additive by performing and commissioning studies. The first study I could find was a 1959 FDA study that resulted in the classification of MSG as “generally recognized as safe” (U.S. Food and Drug). Other substances that carry the GRAS designation include caramel, salt, calcium, and potassium—among others. The next significant study was sponsored by the FDA in 1980; this study conducted by American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) concluded that at normal levels MSG has not been shown to induce symptoms, although it recommended more studies to conclude if extreme doses would induce symptoms (“U. S. Department of Health”).
  9. Just six years later, in 1986, an FDA committee on “Hypersensitivity” (allergy or worse) concluded that glutamate and its “derivatives” (MSG) was not a danger to the general public. Later still in 1991, a report by the European Scientific Committee for Foods confirmed MSG’s safety, and classified its “acceptable daily intake” as “not specified” meaning that there is no known amount that has been shown to be dangerous. A subsequent 1992 report by the American Medical Association stated that glutamate and its derivatives (MSG) have not been shown to pose a “significant health hazard.”
  10. In 1995 the FDA also commissioned a report by the FASEB to review the most recent findings on MSG’s safety. FASEB confirmed the safety assesments worldwide as “correct,” but added that it does not yet discount the possibility that there may be a small subsection of the population that may react negatively to MSG when consuming more than 3 grams of the substance in one sitting, alone (Raiten). It reported the possibility of non-specific symptoms such as burning sensations throughout the upper body, numbness, chest pain, headache, nausea, drowsiness, and weakness (Raiten). It however did not provide statistical evidence or medical trials substantiating this claim, noting that they were anecdotal, testimonial, reports and had not been causally connected to MSG (Raiten). The same report confirmed that there was no data to support the supposition that MSG could cause or exacerbate chronic or debilitating illness.
  11. A 2000 double-blind, placebo-controlled, longitudinal, multicenter study found failed to demonstrate a link between MSG and “MSG induced symptoms,” even among test subjects that professed to have such an allergy (Geha). In addition, no causal connection was demonstrated; in essence, symptoms were not observed when MSG was administered in food. This is the proverbial nail the coffin in a long line of nails in that same coffin. There is a preponderance of evidence that MSG is safe to consume, and little to none that evidence a link between MSG and purported “MSG symptoms.”
  12. All of this evidence is lost on many out there who take an illogical, and seemingly hysterical approach to the consumption of MSG. Take for example the following two excerpts I found online on popular websites by those who purport that MSG is a dangerous additive. I will pick apart these arguments, and dispel misinformation:
  13. “…it [MSG] is a silent killer (you can consume it without any noticeable side effects for years and then wake up dead one day because you reached your threshold), and the hidden prevalence of MSG in our food supply (it is not labeled as MSG in most of its forms).
  14. What can you do about this? Take back your food! It’s a New Year, and the time for change is now. Avoid processed foods. Avoid pre-packaged foods. Consume healthy, whole foods. Eat Real Food. Start with the basics, and move on from there” (M, Kristen J).
  15. First and foremost the claim that MSG ‘builds up’ in your body and you ‘wake up dead’ when you’ve reached a certain amount, despite being hilariously wrong, flies directly the face of the way we know amino acids are processed within the body—that is, glutamic acid is actually created naturally within the body (McEntee). In addition, glutamic acid serves as a vital neurotransmitter to various essential nerve impulses of the central nervous system—including those related to learning, memory, aging, and the brain (McEntee). Secondly, within the United States, the FDA mandates that all products containing non-trace amounts of MSG contain identifying information (“Food”). Clearly this website is full of misinformation—and straight up lies.
  16. Another interesting selection is the following from a website called “Advanced Health Plan,”
  17. “…MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body. The MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added. Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance!....MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday. The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's safe to eat in any amount. How can they claim it’s safe…[with no research indicating so]” (Sica).
  18. To begin, let us examine the claim that MSG is addictive. The first thing to note is that MSG is not some magical powder that makes things taste good. It’s a basic taste along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty (Ikeda). It’s no more addictive than any other food that has flavor. It may be true that MSG is added to foods in order to entice customers…but this is no more a problem than attempting to make your food or product as delicious as it can be. It’s an ingredient in a recipe, not a drug like nicotine. The second dubious portion of this is the portion that claims that MSG has been “added in larger and larger doses” to food. While I cannot disprove this one, neither can I prove it. They cite no evidence and simply claim it as true. Lastly, they state that the FDA’s conclusion with respect to the safety of MSG is haphazard, when you yourself can see the preponderance of evidence and studies that support that position. Clearly this website is alarmist and full of misinformation.
  19. In summary, we have discovered the origins of MSG, the discovery of unami, the research surrounding its safety, and the ignorance surrounding the entire situation. We have seen how unsubstantiated and anecdotal reports of MSG “allergy” have lead to flagrant misinformation surrounding the safety of MSG. We have seen reports that fail to find a link between MSG and negative symptoms, even when the subject purports to have an “allergy.” We have seen worldwide scientific recognition of MSG as safe substance. I would like to preface the closing line of this paper with two quotes, one quite acerbic and another somewhat less so.
  20. “Rumors are hearsay; they are told, believed, and passed on not because of the weight of evidence but because of the expectations by tellers that they are true in the first place” -- ERICH GOODE & NACHMAN BEN-YEHUDA, Moral Panics
  21. “People who spread rumors are like walking infections. The lying words from their mouths spread like disease from person to person. The only way to stop the disease is to keep your mouth shut.” --JOYCE HANSEN, One True Friend
  22. There are two primary ways in which we can stop the spread of misinformation and lies; first, we must stop accepting things as fact unless there exists evidence to support it; and second, if we aren’t sure about what we are saying we ought not to say anything at all.
  23.  
  24. Works Cited
  25. Food Ingredients and Colors. International Food Information Council (IFIC) an, Apr. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://www.fda.gov/food/foodingredientspackaging/ucm094211.htm>.
  26. Geha, Raif S. " Alleged Reaction to Monosodium Glutamate and Outcome of a Multicenter Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study." Rev. Glutamate Safety in the Food Supply, by By Leslie C. Grammer, Alexa Beiser, Clement Ren, Roy Patterson, and Paul A. Greenberger. The Journal of Nutrition 130.4S Apr. (2000): 1058S-62S. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/4/1058.long>.
  27. Gerog Christoph Lichtenberg. Projekt Gutenberg, Aug. 2005. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/autor/372>.
  28. Ikeda, Kikunae. "New Seasonings." Chemical Senses 27.9 (2002): 847-49. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/27/9/847>.
  29. Lindermann, B, Y Ogiwara, and Y Ninomiya. "The discovery of umami." Chem Senses 27.9 Nov. (2002): 843-44. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12438211>.
  30. M, Kristen J. Why MSG is dangerous and where it is hiding. Food Renegade, Jan. 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://www.foodrenegade.com/why-msg-is-dangerous-and-where-it-is-hiding/>.
  31. McEntee, W J., and T H. Crook. "Glutamate: Its role in learning, memory, and the aging brain." Psychopharmacology 111.4 Nov. (1993): 391-401. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7870979>.
  32.  
  33. "Monosodium Glutamate: A Safety Assessment." Food Standards AUS. Food Standard Australia New Zealand Gov., June 2003. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/MSG%20Technical%20Report.pdf>.
  34. Raiten, D J., and J M. Talbot. "Executive Summary from the Report: Analysis of Adverse Reactions to Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)." Rev. of Analysis of Adverse Reactions to Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), by By K D. Fisher. The Journal of Nutrition 126 (1995): 1743-45. Web. 2 Mar. 2012.
  35. Sica, Robban. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Causes Obesity. Advanced Health Plan, 27 May 2007. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://www.advancedhealthplan.com/msg.html>.
  36. Smriga, M, T Mizukoshi, D Iwata, E Sachise, and H Miyano. "Amino acids and minerals in ancient remnants of fish sauce (garum) sampled in the "Garum Shop" of Pompeii, Italy." Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 23.5 Aug. (2010): 442-46. Web. 2 Mar. 2012. <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jfca.2010.03.005>.
  37. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. FDA and Monosodium Glutamate. FDA, 1995. Web. 2 Mar. 2012.
  38. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Database of GRAS Substances. FDA, 1959. Web. 2 Mar. 2012.
  39. Walker, R, and J R. Lupien. "The safety evaluation of monosodium glutamate." The Journal of Nutrition 130.4S Apr. (2000): 1049S-52S. Web. 2 Mar. 2012.
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