MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG) - The Basics

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MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG)

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Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D.,0 September, 1995

 

 

The Basics

 

MSG sensitivity is a sensitivity to free glutamic acid that occurs in food

as a consequence of manufacture. All protein contains glutamic acid

bound in it, but only when glutamic acid has been freed from protein

prior to ingestion do people express MSG- sensitivity reactions. Some

unadulterated protein may also have minute amounts of free glutamic acid

associated with it, but MSG- sensitive people report no adverse reactions

following ingestion of unadulterated protein. Any free glutamic acid freed

from

protein by a manufacturing process before it is eaten can cause the MSG

reaction. The source of the hydrolyzed protein (soy, corn, wheat, etc.,)

appears to be irrelevant.

 

MSG is manufactured through a process of protein hydrolysis. When a

product is 99% pure MSG, the product is called " monosodium glutamate " by

the

FDA and must be labeled as such. However, when a hydrolyzed protein

contains less than 99% MSG, the FDA does not require that the MSG be

identified. " Autolyzed yeast, " " hydrolyzed soy protein, " and " sodium

caseinate, " are

examples of names given to hydrolyzed proteins on food labels.

 

Under FDA regulation, hydrolyzed protein products may be used as

ingredients in other products without mention of the original hydrolyzed

protein product. For example, " hydrolyzed soy protein, " when used in

" flavoring(s), " " natural flavoring(s), " " natural flavor(s), " and products

called

broth, bouillon, or natural chicken flavoring, etc., does not have to be

mentioned on product labels when the food processor claims that the

hydrolyzed

protein is being used for purposes other than flavoring. " Hidden Sources of

MSG " lists some of the ingredients presently used to hide MSG.

 

Use of MSG in food is growing. MSG is found in most soups, salad

dressings, and processed meats; in some crackers, bread, canned tuna fish,

most

frozen entrees, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. It is often used in " low

fat " foods to make up for the flavor lost when fat is reduced or eliminated.

 

In 1969, Schaumburg et al. determined that approximately 30% of our

population suffered adverse reactions when fed MSG in an ordinary diet.1

Reif-Lehrer2 and Kenney and Tidball3 confirmed his findings. Those

studies

were challenged by Kerr et al. in a 1979 glutamate industry sponsored

study.4 Kerr et al. found that 43 per cent of respondents reported one or

more unpleasant symptoms associated with eating, but concluded that

only 1.8% of the population might be sensitive to MSG. To accomplish this,

Kerr et al. decreed that the only true symptoms of MSG-sensitivity, (that

he called " Chinese restaurant syndrome " ), were " burning, tightness, and

numbness, " experienced simultaneously, that commenced between 10 minutes and

2

hours after the start of a meal, and lasted 4 hours or less. Kerr et

al. had to ignore all other reported symptoms in order to come up with

this 1.8% figure.

 

Given the increase in use of MSG since 1979, we would presently expect

more than 30% of the population to suffer adverse reactions to MSG in an

ordinary diet.

 

 

Pinpointing MSG as a Reaction Trigger

 

MSG-sensitive people report reactions ranging from simple skin rash to

severe depression and life-threatening physical conditions. Two or more

reactions

occurring together, or one following another, are not uncommon. The amount

of MSG ingested may also play a role in the specific nature of a

reaction. The most commonly reported reaction is migraine headache.5

 

Diagnosis of MSG sensitivity is extremely difficult.

 

- None of the symptoms of MSG-toxicity are caused exclusively by MSG.

Most, if not all, could be caused by various physical conditions as well as by

other food additives.

 

- Some people eat MSG and react immediately. Some react as late as 48

hours (or even 72 hours) after ingesting MSG. Of help in diagnosis is

the fact that each person typically reacts within one predictable time frame

after ingesting MSG.

 

- Reactions are dose related. Some people can not tolerate even the

smallest amount of MSG without having a reaction. Others tolerate single

small amounts, but react to MSG when they ingest a gram or more in any one

meal. Others can ingest five grams or more without evidencing a reaction.

 

- The adverse effects of MSG ingestion may be cumulative. People have

reported eating small amounts of MSG once a week without experiencing

reactions, while having reactions when those same products were consumed two

or

three days in a row.

 

- MSG is very often hidden in food. Hiding MSG makes recognition

of MSG so complex and confusing that people who are sensitive to MSG have a

great deal of difficulty realizing it. If a person had a reaction after

eating something known to contain MSG, he might suspect that MSG was the

culprit. But if that person had the same reaction after eating something

that

contained MSG but did not disclose the fact on a label, he would very

likely question his original suspicion. Until all sources of MSG are

easily

identifiable, evaluation of possible MSG reactions will be difficult.

 

Difficulty in diagnosing MSG-sensitivity is compounded by the industry

practice of illegally advertising " No MSG " or " No MSG Added " on product labels

when the products do contain MSG.

 

- Diagnostic tools available to the physician are limited to challenge.

In a physician's office, an appropriate dose (or doses) would have to be

selected, and provision would have to be made for both restricting the

patient's contact with other potential reaction triggers and observing

reactions

delayed by as much as 72 hours.

 

As an alternative, physician and patient working together may be able to

identify, or rule out, MSG as a reaction trigger through analysis of a

patient food diary.

 

 

About the People who Sell the Product

 

There is considerable evidence to suggest that consumption of MSG places

humans at risk, and that the greatest risk is faced by children.6

 

On the other hand, studies designed, implemented, and/or supported by the

glutamate industry are generally questionable. All of the data presented

by The Glutamate Association, the International Glutamate Technical

Committee, and their sponsors, as " proving " that MSG is " safe " appear to be

flawed. Some, particularly those in which MSG and/or aspartame are used in

placebos, appear to be fraudulent.7

 

We are aware of no person, institution, or agency, that has claimed that

MSG is " safe, " that does not have close ties to the food and/or drug

industries, or that has not been remunerated by them. In 1992, the FDA

appointed

both Andrew G. Ebert, Ph.D., chairman of the International Glutamate

Technical Committee (IGTC), and Kristin McNutt, Ph.D., paid spokesperson for

the

IGTC, to the FDA Food Advisory Committee. Dr. Ebert is (or was)

also an official " Observer " at the World Health Organization. In 1992,

the FDA funded " an independent study " conducted by the Federation of

American Societies for Experimental Biology, with Expert Panel members

including four people with ties to the glutamate industry. Steve Taylor,

Ph.D., who is (or was) The Institute for Food Technologists'

Communicator

on the subject of MSG has been a paid spokesperson for the IGTC for years.

 

Trade associations that represent glutamate industry interests include

the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and the International

Life Sciences Institute (ILSI). IFIC actively fought the presentation of a " 60

Minutes " program on safety/hazards of MSG in 1991, and presently offers

packets of materials that pretend to demonstrate that MSG is " safe. " The IFIC

packet includes a list of speakers who will attest to the safety of MSG.

The American Academy of Allergy and Immunology is one of the organizations

that has developed materials jointly with IFIC or IFIC's foundation.

Their brochure entitled " Understanding Food Allergy " includes such false

information as " Whenever MSG is added to food, it is listed on the label as

monosodium glutamate. " The FDA has also developed a brochure jointly with

IFIC.

 

In 1994, IFIC commissioned a review of the book Excitotoxins: The Taste

that Kills written by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. Blaylock warned that

MSG probably contributes to brain tumor and neurodegenerative

disease such as ALS, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. The

review was done for IFIC by Jonathan Pincus, M.D., who, it would appear,

did

not read Blaylock's book. Dr. Pincus' research has, in part, been supported

by ILSI. ILSI has also provided grant money to The Food Allergy

Network. Dr. Steve Taylor, mentioned earlier as being a paid spokesman for

the

glutamate industry, is a member of The Food Allergy Network Medical Advisory

Board. The Food Allergy Network is a nonprofit organization

that claims as members both the FDA and the U.S. Department of

Agriculture.

 

 

 

Misleading and Deceptive Use of " No MSG " on Product Labels

 

Manufacturers are acutely aware that, in general, consumers would prefer

not to have MSG8 in their food.9 Some have responded by using " clean

labels, " i.e., labels that do not reveal that the food contains MSG. Others

advertise " No MSG, " " No MSG Added, " or " No Added MSG, " even though their

products contain MSG.

 

Advertising " No MSG, " " No MSG Added, " or " No Added MSG " " has been found

to be false and misleading under section (403)(a)(1) of the Federal Food,

Drug, and Cosmetic Act when the label also lists any hydrolyzed protein as an

ingredient since it contains MSG. " 10 (The underlining is the author's.)

Thus, to advertise " No MSG, " " No MSG Added, " or " No Added MSG " when there is

MSG in a product is illegal.

 

At one time, the FDA regulated the illegal use of the term " No MSG Added, "

with both a Regulatory Letter and threat of seizure and injunction in

case of non-compliance.11 However, we know of no similar enforcement since

1990. It would appear that because food processors and manufacturers are

comfortable in the knowledge that the FDA will do nothing to regulate the

deceptive and misleading use of these terms, labels sporting such claims have

proliferated.

 

Clearly, since it is false and misleading to claim " No MSG " on a product

label when MSG is present as a natural constituent of an ingredient, or

otherwise, any such claim must be substantiated. Those making such

claims should be able to demonstrate, through valid tests for MSG content,

that

there is zero MSG in their end product.

 

Even if one could assume that a particular label reflected the

ingredients actually in the product (which one can not), analysis of product

labels to determine the presence of MSG would not be satisfactory, and will

not

substitute for analysis of end product. The number of

products/ingredients/substances that contain MSG is not finite, i.e., new

products that contain

MSG are invented and/or renamed every day. To keep track of them would

be virtually impossible. Moreover, MSG can be freed from protein

during processing or manufacture given appropriate conditions. Any

ingredient that contains a bit of protein can be hydrolyzed if

hydrochloric acid, enzymes, heat, and/or any other substances or conditions

are

present that cause glutamic acid to be separated out of its host protein.

Therefore, it would be impossible to tell whether or not there was MSG in a

product by virtue of reading the names of the ingredients put into it.

 

The only way to determine whether or not there is MSG in a product is to

measure the amount of MSG in its end product.

 

There are tests for measuring free glutamic acid. The AOAC Official Methods

of Analysis (1984) gives a method. Daniels, Joe, Warner & Diachenko of

the US Food and Drug Administration reported on a liquid Chromatographic

Determination of Monosodium Glutamate in Foods in abstract form at the

AOAC meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, August/ September, 1992. There are others.

 

The burden of proof for a claim about the absence of MSG must lie with

those making the claim. If one can't test, and thereby prove, then one can't

make a claim.

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

_______________________________

0 Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., Truth in Labeling Campaign, P.O. Box

2532, Darien, IL 60561

 

1 Schaumburg, H.H., Byck, R., Gerstl, R., and Mashman, J.H.

Monosodium L-glutamate: its pharmacology and role in the Chinese restaurant

syndrome. Science 163: 826-828, 1969.

2 Reif-Lehrer, L. A questionnaire study of the prevalence of chinese

restaurant syndrome. Fed Proc 36:1617-1623, 1977.

3 Kenney, R.A. and Tidball, C.S. Human susceptibility to oral

monosodium L-glutamate. Am J Clin Nutr 25: 140-146, 1972.

4 Kerr, G.R., Wu-Lee, M., El-Lozy, M., McGandy, R., and Stare, F.

Food-symptomatology questionnaires: risks of demand-bias questions and

population-biased surveys. In: Glutamic Acid: Advances in Biochemistry and

Physiology Filer, L. J., et al., Eds. New York: Raven Press, 1979.

5 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Health Hazard Evaluation Board

(Monitoring System). Report on all adverse reactions in the Adverse

Reaction Monitoring System. Memorandum from Sean F. Altekruse, DVM,

MPH, Acting Chief and Ms. Donna M. Gray, Technical Information Specialist,

Epidemiology Branch, FDA. 2/28/94.

6 Blaylock, R.L. Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills Santa Fe: Health

Press, 1994.

7 Samuels, A. Food and Chemical Toxicology Letter to the Editor (in press)

8 Free form glutamic acid that occurs in food as a consequence of

manufacture.

9 National Food Merchandiser March, 1992. Page 16.

10 Janice F. Oliver, Director, Office of Regulatory Guidance, Center for

food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA. Letter to Jack L. Samuels dated

December 5, 1991.

11 April 10, 1990 FDA Regulatory Letter to Fantastic Foods, Inc., Novato,

CA.

 

 

 

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