We all like our food to taste more-ish so that we keep going back to it to enjoy the flavour. Monosodium Glutamate hit the news a few decades ago about being risky to our health but with so many different multicultural foods now available since mass immigration in the 80’s and 90’s, its impact, like the substance itself, seems to have been hidden from us and not popular amongst health literature.
When we find a new restaurant in search of Umami, a rich, intense meaty or savoury flavour common to many foods, flavourings and cooking methods, it increases our enjoyment of food. Often Umami just means that MSG has been used to enhance the flavour and make us taste it more strongly. MSG can be found as a flavouring in many snack foods like chips and biscuits, but also sauces, mayo, chicken seasoning, stocks and powders. For those who like to check labels to avoid, its number in additive code is 621, so check carefully in the ingredients section to make sure it’s not present.
Here’s an outline of MSG and its relationship to the concept of Umami, from a manufacturer of MSG.
Food producers love to add MSG because of the flavour profile and the sense of wanting more which contributes to overeating and, of course, purchasing more of the same product for overconsumption. It is often From a Chinese herbal medicine perspective, MSG is heating and toxic, travels upward to the head, causing dryness and depletion of Stomach & Lung Yin, leaving the skin and hair vulnerable.
What does the science say?
MSG has been under investigation by the scientific community for many decades, but most recent systematic reviews have indicated its role in causing a large number of health conditions including metabolic disorders, liver toxicity and cirrhosis (Banerjee et al 2021), disruption to male reproductive function (Oluwole et al 2024) and can cause diabetes and obesity in combination with a high lipid diet (Banjeree et al 2021). For a balance of evidence, Henry-Unaeze (2017) has suggested that the findings of their evidence based safety review of MSG as a food additive, has no effect on metabolic function, however the methodology behind the review is unavailable via a basic search.
If you would like a complete health assessment including diet, lifestyle and a different perspective than your average health practitioner, book with Dr Rebecca Tolhurst for a Chinese Medicine consultation and treatment.
References
Abd El Hady Mousa, M., Mansour H., Eid F., & Mashaal A. (2021). Anti-inflammatory activity of ginger modulates macrophage activation against the inflammatory pathway of monosodium glutamate. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 45, e13819. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.13819
Banerjee A, Mukherjee S, Maji BK. Worldwide flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate combined with high lipid diet provokes metabolic alterations and systemic anomalies: An overview. Toxicol Rep. 2021 Apr 29;8:938-961. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2021.04.009. PMID: 34026558; PMCID: PMC8120859.
Henry-Unaeze HN. Update on food safety of monosodium l-glutamate (MSG). Pathophysiology. 2017 Dec;24(4):243-249. doi: 10.1016/j.pathophys.2017.08.001. Epub 2017 Sep 18. PMID: 28943112.
Niaz K, Zaplatic E, Spoor J. Extensive use of monosodium glutamate: A threat to public health? EXCLI J. 2018 Mar 19;17:273-278. doi: 10.17179/excli2018-1092. PMID: 29743864; PMCID: PMC5938543.
Oluwole DT, Ebiwonjumi OS, Ajayi LO, Alabi OD, Amos V, Akanbi G, Adeyemi WJ, Ajayi AF. Disruptive consequences of monosodium glutamate on male reproductive function: A review. Curr Res Toxicol. 2024 Jan 9;6:100148. doi: 10.1016/j.crtox.2024.100148. PMID: 38287921; PMCID: PMC10823071.
Sinha S, Haque M. Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, and Vascular Impediment as Consequences of Excess Processed Food Consumption. Cureus. 2022 Sep 4;14(9):e28762. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28762. PMID: 36105908; PMCID: PMC9441778.
Central Highlands Chinese Medicine 