Is MSG safe? Does anyone use it?

churchhawk

churchhawk

churchhawk

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Guys

Been reading about MSG (flavour enhancer ) and it seems that some people say its safe and some people dont.

Has anyone used it before or does anyone use it on a regular basis?

I know most chinese takeaways use it and ive never felt ill after eating chinese food so was thinking of buying some from ebay and giving it a go, in moderation of course.
 
The short answer is, yes.

The long answer is - there's lots of anecdotes of people complaining of "chinese restaurant sydnrome". If Chinese restaurant syndrome does exist - then there's no reason to jump to the conclusion that it's MSG. Even if it was, there's no reason to believe it would lead to long term health problems.

There are a huge number of foods that are high in free glutamates that would cause the same kind of problems :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate#Health_concerns
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_glutamate#Concentration_in_foods
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/MSG Technical Report.pdf

Also further reading can be found from the likes of Harold McGee.

I'd be far more worried about levels of sugar, sodium chloride, transfats, alcohol etc. than something which is well studied and has no evidence to suggest it is dangerous in doses far, far greater than would be present in food.
 
Hatter The Mad said:
So most of China and Korea are 'doing it wrong'?
Click to expand...

What a pants point :p "Most of China and Korea" have terrible human rights reputation, doesn't mean "they are doing it right".

I just see MSG as a terribly lazy cop out flavour enhancer, which tastes of nothing specific. It is easily replicated with soy, seaweed or salt & sugar in Asian dishes. I like to taste the ingredients of my dish, not an E-number.

Any decent Asian cook avoids MSG all together.
 
A lot of e-numbers are totally natural products anyway.
Msg is just like table salt. Just a refined product you can get from else where. In this case sea weed is the most common.

Nothing bad about it, a few people may suffer short term allergic like reactions.
 
I am allergic to MSG.

Symptoms:

Very rarely within an hour or so but sometimes I come out in bumps on my heads sometimes a part of my lip will swell up a little.

But always.

Next day wake up with what feels like my spinal cord is swollen where it attached to my brain. It hurts to move my head and I have a pulsating banging headache until approx mid afternoon.


It all started a few years ago. Every now and again I would wake up with this banging headache and I assumed I had been sleeping with my head pressed against the headboard. It happened so rare it wasn't a concern. Then we had a Chinese at a mates on a Tuesday next morning felt like cutting off my own head. Then we had another Chinese at my parents on Friday. Next morning the same. So things started to click. Then I kept a food diary. Whenever it happened there was always MSG present in the food. BUT on most occasions there was also Xanthum gum and guar gum.

In the pub one night a mate buys a packet of KP dry roasted peanuts. Tips a few into my hand. Next day Boom I want to cut my own head off again. Checked online MSG.

I know MSG is a salt so I have also played with the Idea of being dehydrated but i drink a lot of fluids so that isn't a cause.


For me MSG is a big big no no. Dont use flavour enhancers just use better flavours.
 
mattyg said:
I am allergic to MSG.

Symptoms:

Very rarely within an hour or so but sometimes I come out in bumps on my heads sometimes a part of my lip will swell up a little.

But always.

Next day wake up with what feels like my spinal cord is swollen where it attached to my brain. It hurts to move my head and I have a pulsating banging headache until approx mid afternoon.


It all started a few years ago. Every now and again I would wake up with this banging headache and I assumed I had been sleeping with my head pressed against the headboard. It happened so rare it wasn't a concern. Then we had a Chinese at a mates on a Tuesday next morning felt like cutting off my own head. Then we had another Chinese at my parents on Friday. Next morning the same. So things started to click. Then I kept a food diary. Whenever it happened there was always MSG present in the food. BUT on most occasions there was also Xanthum gum and guar gum.

In the pub one night a mate buys a packet of KP dry roasted peanuts. Tips a few into my hand. Next day Boom I want to cut my own head off again. Checked online MSG.

I know MSG is a salt so I have also played with the Idea of being dehydrated but i drink a lot of fluids so that isn't a cause.


For me MSG is a big big no no. Dont use flavour enhancers just use better flavours.
Click to expand...
Has a doctor confirmed your 'MSG allergy'?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/12/msg-allergy-chinese-restaurant-syndrome-myth

All of this sounds like (a) bad science (b) self-Internet-diagnosis
 
Last edited:
mattyg said:
I am allergic to MSG.

Symptoms:

Very rarely within an hour or so but sometimes I come out in bumps on my heads sometimes a part of my lip will swell up a little.

But always.

Next day wake up with what feels like my spinal cord is swollen where it attached to my brain. It hurts to move my head and I have a pulsating banging headache until approx mid afternoon.


It all started a few years ago. Every now and again I would wake up with this banging headache and I assumed I had been sleeping with my head pressed against the headboard. It happened so rare it wasn't a concern. Then we had a Chinese at a mates on a Tuesday next morning felt like cutting off my own head. Then we had another Chinese at my parents on Friday. Next morning the same. So things started to click. Then I kept a food diary. Whenever it happened there was always MSG present in the food. BUT on most occasions there was also Xanthum gum and guar gum.

In the pub one night a mate buys a packet of KP dry roasted peanuts. Tips a few into my hand. Next day Boom I want to cut my own head off again. Checked online MSG.

I know MSG is a salt so I have also played with the Idea of being dehydrated but i drink a lot of fluids so that isn't a cause.


For me MSG is a big big no no. Dont use flavour enhancers just use better flavours.
Click to expand...

I get something similar but not just with chinese foods. Will need to maybe keep a food diary but I think it's a combination of things that trigger the migraines for me. Have had migraines on numerous occasions and noticed that I have eaten pepperoni pizzas the day before. It's so hard to narrow it down to one thing.
 
Hatter The Mad said:
Has a doctor confirmed your 'MSG allergy'?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/12/msg-allergy-chinese-restaurant-syndrome-myth
Click to expand...

In Fairness NO. Its not a big deal in the scheme of things I just now avoid anything with MSG in and have been fine. Plus how would they test me by giving me some MSG. IF it is an MSG allergy I wouldn't want to go through it, It makes me feel that bad.

I'm not knocking Chinese food. I dont really eat it anyway. I have tried Chinese food that doesn't have MSG in it and been fine.

Also this only started happening when I stopped drinking redbull. Well vodka redbulls really And I believe taurine is good at lessoning the effects.

It may NOT be an allergy but maybe an Intolerance either way since sticking to foods without MSG I've not had a episode in over a year
 
Or all in my head.

In all seriousness though I have never heard about it until i researched why I felt so bad after eating those chinese meals. It has also happened after eating other foods.
 
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