WINNIPEG — If a 55-year-old man sits down in front of the TV at 9 p.m., and proceeds to eat 17 slices of pizza, it’s likely that he’ll feel sick by midnight.
So, what caused his nausea or stomach ache?
Was it a particular spice sprinkled on the pizza or the 17 slices of bacon, sausage and mushroom pizza, with extra cheese?
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Linda Ho, lead food scientist at the NAIT Centre for Culinary Innovation in Edmonton, would probably say the latter.
She has a similar opinion about MSG, more formally known as monosodium glutamate.
It’s not MSG that makes people feel sick after eating Chinese food, she argues — it’s the over-consumption.
“It (MSG) is used in a lot of Asian cooking. Sometime Asian cooking is very tasty, so people tend to … overeat,” said Ho, a food scientist who specializes in plant-based ingredients.
Turning back the clock to the 1970s and 1980s, there was a public backlash against MSG in North America. When people dined at Chinese restaurants and afterward felt ill, they blamed a strange ingredient called MSG.
Public perceptions and hostility toward MSG forced restaurants and food companies to put “No added MSG” on their menu or on a can of soup.
It’s possible that MSG was unfairly targeted and got a bad reputation, when the real issue was personal responsibility. After all, it’s hard to point the finger at yourself after eating six spring rolls, 12 pieces of ginger beef and four servings of fried rice.
“I don’t think anyone has ever sat down and researched (this), but logically it makes sense. It’s like anything in life. If you over-consume anything … it’s generally not a good thing,” Ho said, explaining her thoughts on MSG.
“It’s not just my own conjecture.… Many people think the same (way).”
What the science says
The glutamate part of monosodium glutamate is an amino acid naturally found in animal and vegetable proteins, including:
- grapes
- tomatoes
- mushrooms
- Parmesan cheese
MSG is a manufactured ingredient that’s used to enhance the “umami,” or the savoury flavour of soups, stews and other foods.
It’s made through fermentation. Many fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, naturally contain MSG.
It’s also used as a flavour enhancer in processed food such as hot dogs, lunch meats, salad dressing, barbecue sauce and instant noodles, says a posting on Harvard Health Online.
Ho said MSG plays a different role than salt because it stimulates different taste receptors in the mouth.
“MSG actually triggers more umami sensations, as opposed to salt, which triggers ‘salty’…. It’s a little more complex than just salt.”
It may be complex, but it’s not a threat to human health.
On a Q&A page on its website, Health Canada says scientists and regulators around the world have looked at its safety.
“All studies found that MSG does not pose a health hazard to people.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a similar position and goes a bit farther, saying there’s little evidence that consuming MSG causes any health issues.
“Over the years, FDA has received reports of symptoms such as headache and nausea after eating foods containing MSG. However, we were never able to confirm that the MSG caused the reported effects.”
However, a small percentage of people can be sensitive to MSG and the amino acid glutamate, says a posting on Harvard Health Online.
When they eat food with high levels of glutamate, symptoms such as headaches and chest pain are possible.
Ho agrees, saying reactions can happen. But, again, it could be caused by eating too much MSG or glutamate.
“There is a toxic dose to everything,” even water, Ho said.
There are no labelling requirements for food containing naturally occurring glutamate, Health Canada says.
Because MSG is a food ingredient, it must be listed in the ingredients on the label in Canada. The same rule applies to glutaminase, an enzyme that changes to glutamate when added to food.
“Look for glutaminase in the list of ingredients as an indication of potential sources of glutamate,” Health Canada says.
“Glutaminase can be used in wheat flour, bakery products, pasta, hydrolyzed proteins, some egg products, yeast extracts and some flavouring preparations.”
It means that if “glutaminase” or products such as soy sauce or hydrolyzed vegetable protein are on the list of ingredients, then glutamate has been added to the food.
It’s why claims like “contains no MSG” or “no MSG added” are misleading, Health Canada says. A food with that claim may have an ingredient that adds glutamate.
All the fuss about MSG is a bit strange because it contains less sodium than table salt. If someone wants to reduce the sodium in their diet and still have flavourful food, using MSG instead of salt is a good idea, Harvard Health Online says.
“Despite having “sodium” in its name, (MSG) contains only 12.28 grams of sodium per 100 grams. That’s about one-third of the sodium found in table salt (39.34 grams/100 grams).”
The bottom line is that MSG and glutamate are not a problem, says Harvard Health Online.
Consumed in small amounts, there’s nothing to worry about.
What people should worry about is over-eating of unhealthy foods.
“Since it (MSG) is often used in conjunction with other less-healthy or highly processed ingredients, you may want to limit your consumption of it and skip the ultra-processed foods where it’s often found.”
