Can your body digest MSG?
MSG is processed by the body in the same way naturally occurring glutamate is, and glutamate plays an important role in digestion by increasing salivation, signaling that a meal contains protein and fueling the cells of the GI tract.
MSG-induced symptoms are typically not severe and subside on their own entirely within 72 hours. 1 However, if you have mild symptoms do not appear to resolve or continue worsening after 48 hours, speak to your healthcare provider, as it may be something more serious.
Drinking several glasses of water may help flush the MSG out of your system and shorten the duration of your symptoms.
Biochemistry of monosodium glutamate inside human body
In liver, large amount of ATP is produced by the conversion of amino acids into glucose. Evidence from human and animal studies showed that glutamate was extensively oxidized in gut and intestine. It is metabolized in enterocytes.
MSG has been shown to cause lesions on the brain especially in children. These lesions cause cognitive, endocrinological and emotional abnormalities. In children, excess glutamate affects the growth cones on neurons.
Together, the findings from non-human primate and human studies provide important evidence that MSG in the food supply presents no hazard to the human brain.
- Headache.
- Flushing.
- Sweating.
- Face pressure or tightness.
- Lack of feeling (numbness), tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas.
- Quick, fluttering heartbeats.
- Chest pain.
- Feeling sick (nausea)
According to a 2019 review in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, some people have reported sensitivity and reactions after eating foods containing MSG that include headaches, difficulty breathing, weakness, flushing, dizziness, muscle tightness, numbness and fainting.
The nutritionist suggests to keep the intake of MSG to 0.55gm per day and to not exceed that limit.
In contrast, treatment with ginger greatly attenuated the neurotoxic effects of MSG through suppression of 8-OHdG and β-amyloid accumulation as well as alteration of neurotransmitter levels.
Can too much MSG make you feel sick?
After eating meals prepared with MSG, people with MSG sensitivity may have migraine headache, visual disturbance, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, tightness of the chest, skin rash, or sensitivity to light, noise, or smells.
Increasing MSG uptake above safe limit produces liver and kidney dysfunctions. MSG induces oxidative liver and kidney damage. Vit D and l-Arg suppress the MSG-induced increase in food intake and body weight.
MSG – Asian foods, particularly those using soy sauce, often contain monosodium glutamate (MSG), which can trigger inflammation. It's also common in some fast foods, canned soups and salad dressings.
The changes occurring in RAPD profiles after MSG treatment include increase or decrease in band intensity and gain or loss of bands. In the comet assay, this additive caused DNA damage at all concentrations in isolated human lymphocytes after 1-h in vitro exposure.
Although it was considered a toxic ingredient during the 1960s, current evidence has dispelled that myth, indicating that MSG is safe when consumed in moderate amounts. Still, you shouldn't eat excessively large doses or consume it if you experience adverse reactions.
Emerging evidence suggests that MSG may directly influence glutamatergic neurotransmission, which underlies the pathophysiology of mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, and depressive disorders (8). Chemically, glutamic acid is an amino acid necessary for the biosynthesis of glutamate, a key neurotransmitter.
Here's the good news: MSG contains two-thirds less the amount of sodium compared to table salt, so if you're looking to lower your sodium intake, reaching for MSG to flavor your food can help you eat less sodium.
MSG enhances the flavour of salty, savoury foods and is lower in sodium than salt – it contains only a third of the amount of sodium you would find in salt. Researchers have recently found that including MSG in food may even help reduce excessive salt intake, which can contribute to cardiovascular disease.
However MSG treatment leads to hypogonadism, a condition inducing bone loss.
Chick-Fil-A's grilled chicken has the additive “Yeast Extract”, which contains free glutamic acid, the main component of MSG. This is hidden MSG, disguised by another name. This ingredient is purely used to make you crave their food and eat more than you should.
What diseases does MSG cause?
1)). MSG has been linked with obesity, metabolic disorders, Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, neurotoxic effects and detrimental effects on the reproductive organs.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive suspected of causing reactions such as headache, flushing, and heart palpitations. People who experience such a reaction may mistake it for an MSG allergy.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavoring substance added to many ready-to-eat foods and has known neurotoxic effects.
This fermented MSG is now used to flavor lots of different foods like stews or chicken stock. It's so widely used because it taps into our fifth basic taste: umami (pronounced oo-maa-mee).
However, MSG occurs naturally in ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate, as well as in tomatoes and cheeses.