IS MSG bad for you?

MSG has had a pretty bad name for quite a few years. But is it bad for your health? If so how, why and what’s the evidence.

What is MSG?

MSG (monosodium glutamate) is basically a flavour enhancer used in a lot of processed foods but also found naturally in some foods. It’s most commonly known for its use it Chinese cooking, in particular takeaways. It has a unami taste which leads to salivary secretion and more flavour sensation whilst eating.

Where is MSG found?

Primarily we think of MSG in processed foods and takeaways. And this is certainly the case. Its founds is takeaways, crisps, processed meats, a lot of sauces and condiments, canned foods such as soup and tuna, frozen foods, instant noodle products. If it’s a processed product there is a good chance it contains MSG.

However it is actually found naturally in a lot of foods so we will all be consuming a certain amount of MSG. It’s found in a lot of proteins such as meat and fish. It’s also in certain cheeses such as parmesan and emmethal. And even in a lot of vegetables such as onions, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms to name a few.

Is MSG Bad For You?

For a long time MSG has been regarded as a very unhealthy ingredient with a host of side effects. Nausea, dizziness and a strange sense of numbness being some of the most common ones. Numerous studies have been done over the years in an attempt to prove or disprove the theory. Whilst there is some evidence that some side effects may come from consuming 3 grams of MSG in one sitting, no one is realistically going to be getting that quantity from food. It is usually 0.5 of a gram at most. And there is no evidence to suggest that will have any negative side effects on anyone.

Some people do cite certain side effects after eating  a Chinese takeaway for example. But the reality is, there are plenty of other processed and unhealthy ingredients in that sort of food (that could be causing the problem) so it would impossible and unfair to blame that on MSG on that basis. But as with any type of food, it can affect people differently, so if eating something doesn’t make you feel good in some way, don’t eat it.

Overall

Overall there is very little evidence that MSG is actually bad for you. Certainly not in the quantities we would consume it, even in a Chinese takeaway for example. I think the blurred lines come because most of the foods it’s added to are pretty unhealthy. Most commonly takeaway Indian and Chinese food. But its not the MSG that makes these foods unhealthy. It’s the high levels of salt, saturated fat, sugar and high calorie levels that do that. And the chances are if you eat a lot of those foods you are going to feel pretty grim and have some side effects and probably some issues with your. So you want to be limiting these sorts of foods in your diet regardless of the MSG.

So its time to stop giving MSG a bad rap. But that doesn’t mean more takeaways is suddenly a good idea!