MSG and its Aid in Lessening Heart Problems

Monosodium Glutamate, also known as MSG, is a food additive that is known to enhance food flavors and make dishes tasty, savory, and meaty. With the addition of this flavor enhancer meals become tastier and people find dishes more appetizing. However, there have been rumors spreading around that MSG is the main cause why many individuals are suffering from obesity, chest tightness, nausea, excessive sweating after eating and even increases the probability of having heart-related health situations. Due to these unverified statements, many dieticians and doctors are claiming that MSG is bad for health.

All of this began when glutamate was introduced in the US in 1947 as a product that goes by the name of Accent Flavor Enhancer. From that moment on, people have been reporting of symptoms like chest pain, flushing, or burning sensations around the mouth whenever they eat something that has MSG. This claim was even more scrutinized when Robert Ho Man Kwok wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine in April 1968 and disclosed some details of what he experienced after eating in a Chinese restaurant in the United States.

Despite these reports however, the US Food and Drug Administration have classified MSG to be “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), which was certified back in 1959. The effort of proving glutamates as safe was followed with the review made by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in 1970. The research was sponsored by the FDA, contrary to rumors that Ajinomoto, the MSG Company in Japan, has funded the said research. The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) has classified monosodium glutamate in the safest category as an additive with “Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) not specified”.

As a matter of fact, contrary to most claims made against it, MSG can lessen the risks of coronary heart diseases, heart attacks, and diabetes because of its low sodium content, which is 33.33% lower than what is found in table salt. Salt has 39% while MSG only has 12% sodium content. Monosodium glutamate is a great option if you want to lessen salt inclusion in meals while maintaining the taste and rich flavor of most dishes. MSG also works well with food that demand the same deep meaty tang without the need to add excessive fat, which lessens the intake of bad cholesterol that gravely affects the heart.