How does your body react to MSG? (2024)

FAQs

What does MSG do to the human body? ›

In many countries MSG goes by the name “China salt”. Beside its flavour enhancing effects, MSG has been associated with various forms of toxicity (Figure 1(Fig. 1)). MSG has been linked with obesity, metabolic disorders, Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, neurotoxic effects and detrimental effects on the reproductive organs.

Some people experience symptoms, such as breathing difficulties, headaches, and sweating, after eating monosodium glutamate (MSG). However, there is no evidence that MSG is harmful. MSG is a food additive that enhances flavor. It is commonly used in restaurants and pre-packaged foods.

After eating meals prepared with MSG, people with MSG sensitivity may have migraine headache, visual disturbance, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, tightness of the chest, skin rash, or sensitivity to light, noise, or smells.

Safety. MSG is generally recognized as safe to eat. A popular belief is that MSG can cause headaches and other feelings of discomfort, but blinded tests have not provided strong evidence of this. International bodies governing food additives currently consider MSG safe for human consumption as a flavor enhancer.

Here's the good news: MSG contains two-thirds less the amount of sodium compared to table salt, so if you're looking to lower your sodium intake, reaching for MSG to flavor your food can help you eat less sodium.

Drinking several glasses of water may help flush the MSG out of your system and shorten the duration of your symptoms.

While MSG is present in some of our menu offerings as a flavor enhancer, we also offer a variety of options that do not contain added MSG. To help our customers make informed decisions, we provide ingredient statements on the Chick-fil-A app or on your local restaurant's menu page.

According to Health Canada and other organizations worldwide like World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives, MSG is not a health hazard. Some people have reported a sensitivity to MSG. It is the glutamate part of MSG that can produce symptoms such as: Tingling and/or burning sensation.

McDonald's does not add MSG (monosodium glutamate) to its food, but they do use ingredients like hydrolyzed vegetable protein in several products.

What counteracts MSG? ›

The more water you drink, the more active your kidneys will be. Your kidneys can help flush the MSG out, as they can with many other toxins that get into your body.

The Truth in Labeling Campaign maintains a list of adverse reactions experienced by MSG-sensitive people which includes depression, mood swings, rage reactions, migraine headache, dizziness, light-headedness, mental confusion, anxiety, panic attacks, and hyperactivity among the neurological reactions; with cardiac, ...

Several reports correlate MSG consumption with a series of unwanted reactions, including headaches and mechanical sensitivity in pericranial muscles. Endogenous glutamate plays a significant role in nociceptive processing, this neurotransmitter being associated with hyperalgesia and central sensitization.

MSG-induced symptoms are typically not severe and subside on their own entirely within 72 hours. 1 However, if you have mild symptoms do not appear to resolve or continue worsening after 48 hours, speak to your healthcare provider, as it may be something more serious.

One study concluded that MSG injures brain cells, and the resulting cellular inflammation leads to a headache.

Is MSG bad for you? In the 1990s, the FDA asked the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) to look into the safety of MSG. FASEB concluded that MSG is safe.

For starters, it acts as a neurotransmitter — a chemical substance that stimulates nerve cells to transmit signals ( 1 , 2 ). Some studies claim that MSG can lead to brain toxicity by causing excessive glutamate levels in the brain to overstimulate nerve cells, resulting in cell death ( 2 , 7 ).

MSG causes neurotoxicity (nerve cell damage): Scientists have earlier claimed that MSG consumption results in the release of excessive glutamate levels in the brain, causing brain damage.

It is concluded that the stimulating effect of MSG on the basal secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach may be implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of acid-dependent diseases. An excessive consumption of MSG can cause a "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" and gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers.