Is MSG Really Bad for You? Here’s Everything You Should Know

Key Takeaways:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is found in all types of food, ranging from konbu to packaged chips.
• There’s a popular misconception that MSG is particularly bad for your health.
• MSG is generally regarded as safe in moderation by the FDA and other expert organizations.

The claim that monosodium glutamate (MSG) is bad for you has been disproven by scientific research.

Still, the sentiment lingers, especially in American culture, where Chinese restaurants have gone so far as to ban the core ingredient from their kitchens. So let’s take a look at the history — and the science — of MSG.

What Is MSG?

MSG is a food additive derived from glutamic acid, an amino acid that naturally occurs in many foods (like tomatoes and cheese). Glutamic acid is among the most abundant amino acids in the human body. It’s worth noting, MSG does not contain gluten, even though “glutamate” is a similar-sounding word.

The glutamate in MSG is chemically different from glutamate present in food proteins, according to the FDA. However, our bodies metabolize both in the same way. The average adult consumes around 13 g of glutamate from protein every day and eats about 0.55 g of MSG per day.

MSG enhances the savory aspects of umami, a Japanese word that, in some instances, translates to “deliciousness.” Umami is a category of taste known as the “fifth taste” that offers a savory meatiness (though it’s entirely vegan).

While MSG is often associated with Chinese food, you’ll also find it in foods like canned chicken noodle soup and Doritos. Konbu, a type of brown seaweed, contains a lot of MSG, which is why it’s often used for creating broths, especially in Japanese cooking.

So, Why Did MSG Get Such A Bad Rap?

There’s a lot of history here. Kim Pham, the co-founder of the Asian cooking brand Omsom, which includes MSG in some of its products, and the founder of KnowMSG, a campaign to debunk myths surrounding MSG, says its bad rap is likely traced back to a letter.

In 1968, Robert Ho Man Kwok, a Chinese-American physician, wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine explaining that he felt weak after eating at a Chinese restaurant. While the author listed several ingredients that could have led to his symptoms, the letter stirred up a sort of panic around MSG. Readers responded to the letter citing similar symptoms, and soon the term “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” was coined. The phrase was featured in a New York Times headline one month after the letter was first published.

“What followed was a series of studies that were done without double-blind or placebo control — procedures were really inconsistent and inappropriate,” says Pham. In many of these older studies, researchers would inject MSG directly into lab animals’ abdomens, a method that likely does not actually reflect the effects of MSG as a food ingredient eaten in moderation.

It’s difficult to separate the research from the prevalent xenophobia at the time. Recent research points to the fact that Asian cuisine was regarded as “exotic,” “bizarre” and “excessive” by many, and “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” only served to strengthen these beliefs.

The same year the letter was published, the New York City Health Department sent out a letter, in English and Chinese, expressing the need for MSG to be used “sparingly when preparing food” to Chinese food manufacturers and vendors. The city did not distribute the letter to non-Chinese restaurants or the manufacturers of other foods.

Over fifty years since Kwok penned his letter, 4 in 10 U.S. consumers still say they actively avoid MSG, according to the International Food Information Council. But should they? Here, we’ll dive into the facts about MSG.

Is MSG Actually Bad For You?

The negative claims associated with MSG run the gamut. People have linked MSG with asthma, headache, brain damage, nausea, drowsiness, and more.

What Do The Experts Say?

Because of the controversy surrounding MSG, it has been extensively evaluated by experts in the field. Here’s a general timeline of what the experts have to say regarding the safety of MSG:

• 1958: The FDA designates MSG as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) alongside other ingredients such as allspice, lavender, ginger and basil.
• 1979: The National Academy of Sciences confirms the safety of MSG as a food ingredient.
• 1987: The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations World Health and Food and Agricultural Organizations places MSG in its safest category for food additives.
• 1991: The European Community’s Scientific Committee for Food confirms MSG as safe.
• 1992: The American Medical Association concludes that MSG is safe at normal consumption levels.
• 1995: The FDA reaffirms MSG’s safety following a report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), an independent scientific group appointed by the FDA.

What About The Research?

As for the science around the safety of MSG, decades of research have not found a connection between MSG and the symptoms that people associate with consuming it.

While research has found that large doses of MSG can raise blood levels of glutamate by as much as 556 percent, a 2009 study found that dietary glutamate does not cross the blood-brain barrier in large amounts, and therefore it is unlikely that it impacts brain function.

Further, a 2020 review found that many of the reported negative health effects linked to MSG “have little relevance for chronic human exposure and are poorly informative as they are based on excessive dosing that does not meet with levels normally consumed in food products.”

In 1993 researchers found that when 71 adult participants were given MSG, they did not experience any more unwanted symptoms than did the group given the placebo.

The relationship between weight gain and MSG, however, is conflicting. Some research has found a correlation, while in others, the connection is non-existent. More research is likely needed to understand the potential relationship.

While MSG is generally recognized as safe, some research suggests that consuming the additive in excessive doses could be harmful. According to the FASEB, when consuming 3 grams of MSG without food, some individuals may experience generally mild and transient symptoms, including headaches, drowsiness and numbness. It’s worth noting, however, that a typical serving of a food with added MSG contains less than 0.5 g of MSG.

Some research also suggests children could be particularly sensitive to MSG. In one study, researchers highlighted a possible link between MSG consumption and atopic dermatitis (eczema) in kids, but, again, more research is needed.

Can You Be Allergic To MSG?

While research has not found evidence of a true MSG allergy, a sensitivity to the additive may be possible.

What Does The Science Say?

While everybody is different, and an individual can be sensitive to any ingredient, MSG is not considered an allergen.

Some people may be sensitive to the food additive. Still, the findings aren’t incredibly convincing. In one study, 61 people were given either 5 mg of MSG or a placebo. 24.6 percent reported symptoms following the placebo compared to 36.1 percent who did when taking MSG.

According to the FDA, despite people identifying themselves as MSG sensitive, no major differences were found in studies comparing their reaction to MSG versus placebo.

If eating something makes you feel bad, it’s in your best interest to stop eating it. If this is the case with MSG, remember that the ingredient isn’t just added to foods: It’s also naturally present in certain meat, poultry, cheese, fish, and produce. Labeling is only required when MSG is added as an ingredient (listed as monosodium glutamate).

What Are The Benefits Of Using MSG?

The major benefit of MSG is that it makes food more flavorful. Research has even examined the effects of MSG on taste, with one study finding that the additive increased the “pleasantness” of a soup.

It is important we understand the myths tied to MSG and how it has led to a bias toward cultural food differences.

The stigma around MSG forced many Chinese (and Latinx) restaurants in the U.S. to ban MSG as an ingredient in their kitchens and then market the ban to attract misinformed customers.

“It’s honestly kind of devastating [that restaurants had to do this],” says Pham, because MSG “made those dishes the hallmark dishes that they are.” Accepting MSG as safe and rejecting the intolerance associated with the food can help “reverse generations of this unfounded stigma,” she says.

So, Can I Enjoy MSG?

MSG is generally regarded as safe by the FDA. The negative associations around MSG are possibly rooted in racism and questionable research that dates back to the 1960s. There are many wonderful ways to cook with MSG at home, including using it to enhance the flavor of dishes like tomato sauce, soups and stews, dips and dressings, and fried rice. If you find you feel unwell after eating MSG, discuss possible causes with your healthcare provider.