In my quest to make the best ever Spam Musabi, I picked up a bottle of traditional blend furikake at my local Japanese market. I showed my new acquisition to a friend who read the ingredients and quickly informed me that it contained MSG.

I thus did what any rational person would do, took the bottle outside and burned it on a funeral pyre dedicated to the healthy food gods. No, not really, what I did was some research since I remember all the anti-MSG messages floating around in the 80′s. Here is what I found out:

• MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a stable form of glutamate which is composed of sodium (salt) and glutamate.
• Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid (L-glutamate).
• Glutamates enhance the umami (savory or “deliciousness”) taste in food.
• MSG sensitivity is thought to be triggered by the presence of “free” glutamates.
• Glutamates are present in many foods, including Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and kelp, among many others.
• Our bodies naturally produce glutamate.
• Double blind studies (the researcher’s gold standard) fail to show any link between MSG and the various reported side effects. These included studies preformed on individuals who self reported with MSG sensitivities.
• Glutamates are widely used in foods under various names, from technical names like monosodium glutamate to more benign names like yeast food, yeast nutrient, autolyzed yeast, and gelatin.
• The MSG sensitivity theory seems to relate back to a 1968 New England Journal of Medicine article by Dr. Ho Man Kwok regarding “Chinese Restaurant Syndrom.” Dr. Kwok reported various side effects of eating at a Chinese restaurant, but did not specifically link them to MSG.
• It is possible that up to 1% of the population may be sensitive to MSG.

The case against glutamate appears to be a collection of anecdotal
stories and poorly performed research.

My take-away?

• While, I am not going to buy a big bag of MSG and add it to everything I cook, but I am no longer scared of ingesting a bit extra in my furikake or Chinese food.
• Next time I think I feel ill effects after eating Chinese food, I’ll blame overeating or the quality of the restaurant.
• If you think you have MSG sensitivity, have your doctor confirm you suspicion.
• The placebo effect works.

The best summary of MSG can be found at this The Guardian/The Observer article by Alex Renton, “If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn’t everyone in Asia have a headache?” I encourage you to take a read.