In recent years there has been a lot of chatter about food additives and their harmful effects. The additive Monosodium Glutamate commonly known as MSG has been at the center of this nutritional controversy. MSG is a food additive used to enhance flavor. It is commonly found in Chinese take-out and other processed snacks. There are two sides of the MSG argument, those who argue that MSG is bad for one's health and those who maintain that it is perfectly safe. With all the influx of opinions it can be hard to determine what side is right. As a result many people are left wondering, why is MSG bad and why do some say it is safe to use?

Simply by typing the letters MSG into a search engine there is an onslaught of articles warning about the harmful effects of MSG and employing readers to become conscious of what chemicals they are ingesting. Tracy Joy, a writer for Livestrong.com, said 

According to a report on MSG by the Arizona Center for Advanced Medicine, MSG promotes the growth, and spread, of cancer cells within the body, and can also be linked to "sudden cardiac death." In a study in the February-March, 2008 issue of the "Journal of Autoimmunity," researchers state that MSG is linked with obesity and inflammation within the body, particularly the liver. (Joy)

On top of being added to Chinese take-out, MSG is found in potato chips, canned soups, and a variety of other processed food. MSG is not always found on the label, often Joy says it is hidden or put under other names like "natural flavoring" or "glutamic acid"(Joy).  The article goes on to say that some researchers are calling for MSG to be re-evaluated as a food additive (Joy).

Many medical professionals and the FDA do not agree that MSG is harmful, in fact doctors like allergist and immunologist Katharine Woessner of the Scripps Clinic Medical Group argue that the idea of MSG being harmful is " a great misunderstanding"(Tu). There are many in the medical and scientific profession that will argue that the "harmful" effects of MSG are completely unfounded. Ken Lee a professor and director of food innovation at Ohio State University says that MSG is a natural substance found in many organisms. The word sodium found in Monosodium Glutamate refers to the commonly known table salt, while glutamate is another word for glutamic acid a naturally occurring amino acid (Tu).  

Katharine Woessner and her team did a placebo study on asthmatic patients and the effects of MSG in 1999. Her findings showed that out of 100 patients, "30 participants believed they had a history of CRS (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome), only one showed signs of reduced lung function after exposure to MSG"(Tu). That one patient was tested again in a double blind study and the test came out negative (Tu). 

Chau Tu goes onto explain that there are many other studies on MSG with similar findings, and that it is important to remember even though you had the meal and symptoms followed it doesn't mean there is a definitive cause and effect (Tu). 

Those who believe that MSG is deleterious to one's health are not without their own scientific proof.  A neuroscientist named John Olney published a study about the harmful effects MSG on the body and brain. After injecting mice with Monosodium Glutamate Olney observed that in newborns MSG caused neuronal necrosis, a widespread destruction of neurons. In Adults Olney observed upon injection "stunted skeletal development, marked obesity, and female sterility. Pathological changes were also found in several organs associated with endocrine function" (Olney). Olney concluded that MSG is the likely cause of CRS and is a harmful food additive.

Chau Tu references Olney's study in his article " Is MSG Bad For Your Health". John Fernstrom, a professor of psychiatry, pharmacology, and chemical biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, stated "You have to read between the lines very carefully to see when there is [a study about] MSG-induced brain damage, it's always by injection."(Tu). Fernstrom goes on to state that glutamate is mostly metabolized in your gut and that the mice had negative side effects because of the amount of MSG they were receiving, using the age old expression "anything consumed in excess is no good" (Tu). 

Both sides of the Monosodium Glutamate debate have convincing arguments. In the end it is up for the consumer to decide what they consider to be true. The controversy surrounding MSG brings out the larger issue facing consumers today, knowing what is in the foods they ingest. It is important for consumers to be well informed about additives and their effects whether beneficial or damaging. There are many more arguments to be had on the effects of artificial supplements added to our foods. Thankfully for customers there will never be a shortage of information from scientist, doctors, or journalist willing to study food additives and their effects. 

