MSG info and symptoms

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MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE: FOOD FOR THOUGHT BUT NOT FOR EATING By Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D. May 10, 1991 Revised July 1, 1995 Aches and pains? Feeling lousy? It's part of life. What elseis new?What's new is that some of those aches and pains may not just bepart of life, but may be part of what you're eating. They may becaused by monosodium glutamate (MSG).MSG is used widely in food to enhance food's flavor. You willfind it, in one form or another, in almost all processed orotherwise manufactured food. Instead of making chicken soup witha whole chicken, use half a chicken and a little MSG; you get abig chicken taste and save some money. Unfortunately, about 30per cent of our population experiences one or more adversereactions, along with the savings and explosion of taste, whenthey use MSG.A most interesting substance, MSG is added to food but has nonutritional value. It doesn't affect the food it is in, and itdoesn't have any flavor. Rather, it produces its flavorenhancing effect by stimulating your taste buds. Scientists callglutamic acid, from which MSG is derived, an excitotoxic aminoacid because it is known to excite, and even kill, brain cells inlaboratory animals. MSG doesn't change your food at all. MSGchanges you.We know that MSG excites the taste buds and causes adversereactions. But we don't know how or why. And we don't knowwhether or not MSG is doing something to people who show no overtMSG reactions. We don't think anyone should use MSG.How do we know that MSG makes some people ill? If it were up toour Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you wouldn't, because thefact that MSG causes adverse reactions in humans appears to be awell guarded secret. But adverse reactions to MSG were mentionedas early as 1968 in the New England Journal of Medicine. And in1969, Dr. John Olney wrote the first article that linked braindamage in laboratory animals (particularly infant animals) to MSGingestion. In 1970, manufacturers (not the FDA) agreed to takeMSG out of baby food. In 1978 or so, they finally took it out of"baby food," but not out of all food that's fed to babies.In 1988, Dr. George Schwartz published the book In Bad Taste: TheMSG Syndrome, which cited case studies of MSG-sensitiveindividuals and revealed to its readers where, how, and why MSGwas being hidden in processed or otherwise manufactured food. Asa result of Dr. Schwartz's book, a consumer group, NOMSG, wasformed, and reports of members have provided data never collectedbefore. Scientists used to feel that infants were the group mostat risk from MSG. Now, however, researchers have found arelationship between MSG and some of the dreadedneurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Parkinsonism,Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease, which all affectthe elderly. Scientists used to think that in adults, braincells were protected from invasion of MSG. Now, however,researchers realize that there are at least five areas in thebrain that are not well protected.What are the symptoms? Symptoms of MSG are many and varied. Infact, so many different symptoms occur that people often questionhow one substance could cause such diverse reactions. The answerlies in the fact that MSG is a neurotropic drug (a substance thateffects the nervous system). If you realize that valium, whichis a popular neurotropic drug, may produce a wide variety of sideeffects, you should not be surprised that the same is true ofMSG.MSG-sensitive people have reported numerous reactions, includingsimple skin rash, bloating, fatigue, joint pain, shortness orbreath, chest pain, severe gastric distress, diarrhea, asthmatype symptoms, exercise induced asthma, headache, migraineheadache, irregular heart beat, atrial fibrillation, rapid heartbeat (called tachycardia), nausea and vomiting, anxiety attacks,depression, hyperactivity in children, mood swings, mouthlesions, flushing, and tremors.If you experience any of these symptoms, you must understand thatnone are caused exclusively by MSG. Most, if not all, could becaused by various physical conditions as well as by other foodadditives. But they can be caused by eating MSG.One of the things that makes diagnosis of MSG sensitivityextremely difficult is the different reaction times experiencedby different people. Some people eat MSG and react immediately.Some react as late as 48 hours after ingesting MSG. A secondconsideration is the fact that reactions are dose related.Jeannette can not tolerate even the smallest amount of MSGwithout having a reaction. However, Pat tolerates small amounts,but reacts to MSG when she ingests four grams or more in any onemeal.Although there are many adverse responses associated with MSGingestion, one individual will always react in the same one,two, or three consistent ways, and do so within the same timeframe. When Ron ingests just a little MSG, he gets light headedand somewhat disoriented. The reactions start about 20 minutesafter he has eaten the MSG. If he eats a lot of MSG, he getsviolent diarrhea, which starts about half an hour after hefinishes his meal. If he eats a little MSG and engages invigorous exercise, he goes into anaphylactic shock.How many people are sensitive to MSG? H. Schaumburg, writing inthe late 60's and early 70's, estimated that approximately 30% ofour population suffered adverse reactions when fed MSG in anordinary diet at levels readily available on a given day. Otherindependent researchers confirmed his observations. Thosestudies were followed by studies sponsored by the glutamateindustry which purported to demonstrate that no more than 1-2% ofthe population might be sensitive to MSG. Those industry-sponsored studies were methodologically inadequate, statisticallyunsound, and came to conclusions which did not follow from theresults of the studies. Unfortunately, the amount of MSG readilyavailable in food has grown to such proportions that we would nowexpect more than 30% of the population to suffer adversereactions to MSG at levels readily available in an ordinary diet.Just what is this substance that makes some people ill? It isdifficult to comprehend how glutamic acid (an amino acid), or oneof its salts (glutamate) could cause the adverse reactions thatwe have described. For glutamate is one of the substances thatmake up protein. And we all know that protein is essential tomaintaining good health.But protein is like a jigsaw puzzle. Every puzzle is made up ofmany pieces. The pieces in any one puzzle will differ in sizeand in shape, and you can buy puzzles that have pieces that arequite different from one another.Like puzzles, different proteins are made up of different aminoacids. And, like puzzles, which can't be completed when a pieceis missing, a protein is no longer the same protein when aminoacids that once were a part of that protein are missing orbroken. And when amino acids are just lying around like loosepuzzle pieces, you don't have a protein at all.It's one thing to eat protein. We all need protein, in one formor another, to stay healthy. It's quite another thing to eatfree, isolated, amino acids. Scientists don't necessarily agreeon exactly what happens when we eat free amino acids. One theorysays that when we ingest free glutamate, the amino acid balancein the body is thrown out of balance, creating a situation thatneeds adjustment. And the body reacts just as it does to variouskinds of stress--to poison, to transient illness, or to disease.For years, nutritionists have warned about the potential hazardsthat imbalance of amino acids can cause.A second theory says that something in the manufacture of theglutamate causes humans to experience adverse reactions.Although there is glutamate in protein, eating protein does notcause the adverse reactions associated with eating glutamate.Only the manufactured free glutamate cause the reactions.Where is MSG found? Where is MSG hidden? What can you do toavoid MSG? MSG is manufactured through a process of proteinhydrolysis. When protein hydrolysis yields a product that is 99%free glutamate (glutamate separated from the protein in which itwas originally found), the product is called "monosodiumglutamate" ("MSG") by the FDA and must be labeled as such. Whena protein hydrolysate consists of less than 99% free glutamate,the product is called one of a variety of names including "sodiumcaseinate," "calcium caseinate,autolyzed yeast," "texturedprotein," "yeast food," "hydrolyzed vegetable protein," and"hydrolyzed protein." All these products contain MSG.Typically, the amount of free glutamate in these products rangesbetween 8 and 40 per cent.The FDA points out that all of these hydrolyzed protein productsoccur naturally; but unlike the naturally occurring "MSG" whichis 99% or more free glutamate and is required by FDA regulationto identify its MSG content with the words "monosodiumglutamate," under present regulations, the other hydrolyzedproteins do not have to mention that they contain MSG. On anygiven day, a new product may enter the market, and a new sourceof MSG may be at hand. Names that can be used to signify ahydrolyzed protein appear not to be subject to any restrictions.But that's not the half of it. Under FDA regulation, hydrolyzedprotein may be included in various products with no mention ofthe hydrolyzed protein. The information we have at this timetells us that broth, bouillon, stock, flavoring, naturalflavoring, natural flavors, and a whole host of products callednatural chicken flavoring, natural turkey flavoring, etc. containMSG insinuated into the product through the use of some form ofhydrolyzed protein. So MSG sensitive people who know about thehiding of MSG are afraid to eat any product that has "flavoring"or "natural flavoring" in it, for example, even though it mightbe MSG-free. As a result, the grocery shelf, the refrigerator,and the freezer case, contain very little that a sensitive personcan be sure is free of MSG. Further, the amount of MSG found infood today is growing. It is found in most soups, saladdressings, and processed meats; in some crackers, bread, cannedtuna fish, most frozen entrees, ice cream, and frozen yogurt.Lately we've seen it included in the new "low fat" foods. Thatmakes sense because if you remove the flavor provided by the fat,you have to put back the flavor, and that, some say, calls forMSG.This hiding of MSG has a second consequence, much more insidiousthan forcing MSG-sensitive people to limit their diets. HidingMSG makes recognition of MSG so complex and confusing that peoplewho are sensitive to MSG have a great deal of difficultyrealizing it. Think about it. If you eat something with MSG init, and you have a bad reaction, you might think at first thatyou are sensitive to MSG. But then you eat something that doesnot say MSG anywhere on the label and you have that samereaction. "Obviously," you conclude, "it is something else towhich I am sensitive, not MSG." Not until you recognize all ofthe hidden sources of MSG will you be able to make a properevaluation of what is causing your reaction.Just as MSG in food is presently identified some times and notothers, the FDA has proposed a regulation that the glutamate in"certain" hydrolyzed proteins should be disclosed. The proposedregulation as published in the January 6, 1993 Federal Registerdoes not make clear what "certain" means. To the consumer,however, "certain" means that MSG will continue to be hidden infood.Following the August 31, 1995 release of a report on the safetyof MSG done for the FDA by the Federation of American Societiesfor Experimental Biology (FASEB), FDA Commissioner David A.Kessler, M.D., J.D., reiterated the need to label "significant"amounts of MSG. "Significant" means that MSG will continue to behidden in food.What can be done about the hiding of MSG? All across the UnitedStates people are asking food processors, the FDA, the Congress,and the President, to see that MSG is identified whenever andhowever it appears in the end product of processed or otherwisemanufactured food. Others would like to see MSG removed from theFDA's GRAS (generally regarded as safe) list. It is up to theconsumer to convince those who are in a position to change thingsthat MSG should be labeled and/or removed from the GRAS list. Atthe same time, people who understand the problem are trying toalert their families and friends to the hidden forms of MSG.On August 29, 1995, 29 persons, including physicians, scientists,and parents on behalf of their children, joined with the Truth inLabeling campaign to file suit in Federal Court, asking the courtto intercede on their behalf and require that all MSG inprocessed food be labeled. Depending on the schedule of thejudge assigned to the suit, we expect that hearings will beginearly in 1996.You, as an individual, owe it to yourself and to your family tomake certain that you are not sensitive to free glutamic acidthat occurs in food as a consequence of a manufacturing process(MSG). Difficult as it may be, a two week regime of fresh cookedfruits and vegetables and fresh fish, poultry, and meat (noturkey please, because most turkey is basted with broth thatcontains MSG) which includes nothing processed out of a box,bottle, bag, jar, or can (no candy or gum, either) should tellyou pretty well where you stand on MSG. If things that botheredyou before your "diet," like headache, muscle tension, asthma,heart irregularities, and gastric distress do not bother you inthe two week "diet" period, you should begin to look seriously atthe food you were previously eating for food additives that mightbe causing your problems. One of the food additives you shouldlook at is MSG.If you are concerned about MSG sensitivity, or would like to helpthe Truth in Labeling Campaign, (a nonprofit corporation), writeJack Samuels, Truth in Labeling Campaign, P.O. Box 2532, Darien,IL 60561. A stamped, self-addressed envelope would beappreciatedAOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.