What, me worry?: Should I worry about MSG (monosodium glutamate) in foods? Is it safe?
For most people and in reasonable amounts, research seems to say, it’s OK.
MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in all kinds of foods, and it’s gotten a bad rap over the years because of reports linking it to nerve damage in mice and adverse reactions in some people.
In 2007, a group of European researchers reviewed MSG studies and concluded that the substance is safe, according to an article in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
A 1995 report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology identified two groups of people who might be MSG-sensitive: those who develop symptoms after consuming large quantities of the substance, and severe asthmatics.
Symptoms include headache, nausea, weakness, and a burning sensation in the back of the neck and the forearms. Some people complain of wheezing, changes in heart rate and difficult breathing.
Scripps Howard News Service
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