Get the message on MSG

FROM time to time it becomes necessary to tell an uncomfortable truth. That’s just part of being a responsible adult. So, please don’t get angry when I say this, but despite loud protestations to the contrary, MSG is not a dangerous ingredient.

It doesn’t cause headaches, or palpitations, or dry mouth. In fact, there are no known or proven adverse health outcomes for regular consumption of it.

Of course, like anything, you can have too much and get unwell, just like you could with coffee, or bagels, or bananas or spelt pasta, because that’s what “too much” means. But the amount you’d need to consume in a single event is nearly 10 times what you’d get in an entire day from a high-intensity Chinese takeaway diet.

Still not convinced? Well, don’t take my word for it, listen to the independent doctors and professional scientists who are paid to study it.

Because, along with mobile phone radiation, MSG is one of the most-studied contentious health concerns in science history, and the results truly are in.

The most complete investigation was conducted by the Division of Immunology at Harvard University. A large group of self-described MSG sufferers were delivered a series of doses of MSG or a placebo.

After many multiple rounds, only two patients out of the 130 had correctly reacted to MSG presence more than twice. None were correct every time.

You see, MSG is simply the combination of a basic amino acid found in many foods with sodium to make a stable salt.

In fact, MSG occurs naturally in many foods, including parmesan cheese, some types of salami, grapes, mushrooms and a range of other ingredients.

Does that make MSG a good thing? Probably not, but it still matters to distinguish between the facts and the myths, even if doing so raises some hackles.

MSG OCCURS NATURALLY IN MANY FOODS, INCLUDING PARMESAN CHEESE, SOME TYPES OF SALAMI, GRAPES, MUSHROOMS AND A RANGE OF OTHER INGREDIENTS.