MSG is a flavour enhancer, which has been used effectively for nearly a century to bring out the best flavour in foods. MSG is actually the amino acid, glutamic acid, or glutamate for short, sodium and water. Glutamate is found naturally in protein-containing foods, such as meat, vegetables, poultry, and milk. The human body also produces glutamate naturally in large amounts. The muscles, brain, and other body organs contain about four pounds of glutamate. Breast milk is rich in glutamate - compared to cow's milk, for example.

MSG is usually produced through fermentation - a process similar to that used in making vinegar and yogurt. The process begins with the fermentation of corn, sugar, beets, or sugar cane. The finished product is a pure, white crystal, which dissolves easily and blends well in many foods.

MSG is usually produced through fermentation - a process similar to that used in making vinegar and yogurt. The process begins with the fermentation of corn, sugar, beets, or sugar cane. The finished product is a pure, white crystal, which dissolves easily and blends well in many foods.

No. According to FASEB, there is no difference between naturally occurring and added glutamates. Additionally, scientific authorities from around the world, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), agree the body handles glutamate in the same way regardless of its source. Glutamate from either source is absorbed similarly in the intestine and follows normal metabolic pathways.

As a result of consuming MSG or protein-based foods, a natural elevation of the blood glutamate level will occur. That level will return to "baseline" (the level before eating) in about three hours, no matter what the source of glutamate.

In fact, a research team from National Taiwan University observed plasma levels of glutamate following the consumption of large dietary sources of MSG in meals. The researchers conclude that the rather low plasma glutamate concentrations over the 24-hour period, despite the high intake of MSG, "indicate that dietary MSG is metabolised very rapidly."

MSG has been used for nearly a hundred years and is one of the most studied of all food ingredients. It extensive database of hundreds of peer-reviewed studies has undergone intensive scrutiny and MSG's safety has been confirmed time after time in reviews of this data.

For more than four decades, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly confirmed MSG's safety.

Other scientific and regulatory bodies around the world, including the American Medical Association (AMA), the European Communities Scientific Committee for Food (SCF), and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), have also reviewed the research on MSG and have affirmed its safety. MSG is so safe that the FDA has placed it on the list of substances known as "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS), right along with sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Likewise, the World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen not to set a limit on the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of MSG, classifying it as "not specified".

MSG is produced through fermentation - a process similar to that used in making vinegar and yogurt. The process begins with the fermentation of natural ingredients such as corn, sugar, beets, or sugar cane.

There is no scientific support for this claim, however one possible explanation may parallel the well known thirst response to excess salt in foods. The sodium in salt plays a major role on body fluid control, and if present in excess, thirst will naturally result. Of course, MSG contains sodium. However, MSG contains only 12% of sodium, whereas table salt contains approximately 40%, and the amount of MSG used for cooking can be far less than that for salt, the thirst-response to MSG should be less than that to salt.

In case of human beings, sensory tests show that salt intake reduced, the acceptability of food decreases. By using a small amount of glutamate, it has been found possible to reduce sodium intake by as much as up 30 to 40% and still retain the palatability of the food we eat. This has also been confirmed by actual experience in cooking.

There is no scientific support for this claim. Baldness or falling hair may be caused by several factors, namely: Genetic; changes of hormones; stress and social pressures; under-nourishment for example, iron deficiency; other hair related factors, for example, scalp and hair infection from fungi, use of unsuitable shampoo and more.

There is no scientific support for this claim, however one possible explanation may parallel the well known thirst response to excess salt in foods. The sodium in salt plays a major role on body fluid control, and if present in excess, thirst will naturally result. Of course, MSG contains sodium. However, MSG contains only 12% of sodium, whereas table salt contains approximately 40%, and the amount of MSG used for cooking can be far less than that for salt, the thirst-response to MSG should be less than that to salt.

In case of human beings, sensory tests show that salt intake reduced, the acceptability of food decreases. By using a small amount of glutamate, it has been found possible to reduce sodium intake by as much as up 30 to 40% and still retain the palatability of the food we eat. This has also been confirmed by actual experience in cooking.

Chinese restaurant syndrome describes transient discomfort some people may feel after ingesting certain foods and beverages. In 1987, JECFA concluded that "Properly conducted double-blind studies among individuals who claimed to suffer the syndrome did not confirm monosodium glutamate as the causal agent". (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. L-glutamic acid and its ammonium, calcium monosodium and potassium salts. In Toxicological Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants. WHO Food Additives Series No. 22, New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 97-161, 1988.) This conclusion was affirmed by a comprehensive review and strictly controlled study at the University of Western Sydney in 1993. (Tarasoff L, Kelly M. F. Monosodium L-glutamate: a double blind study and review. Food Chemical Toxicology, 31: 1019 •1035, 1993.

No. Migraine headaches are severe, often debilitating headaches. While there are many theories about what causes migraines, such as heredity, neurological brain disorder, and blood vessel disorders, there are no double-blind, placebo controlled studies linking MSG to migraines.

Some studies have implicated MSG as a trigger for headaches. One 1991 study sought to establish this connection through MSG elimination diets and self-reported symptoms, rather than the double-blind challenge technique considered more appropriate in clinical research of this nature.

There are many known "triggers" for headaches, including diet and stress. A wide array of foods have been implicated as headache triggers. However, a 1990 critical review of the literature on food-triggered headaches concluded that the relationship is controversial. The review further states that there is no evidence to support an association between MSG and migraine headaches.

The exact cause of migraine is not fully understood. Some researches believe that migraine is rooted in a neurological disorder in the brain, others believe that it is a blood vessel disorder. Hereby also plays role in migraine headaches.

No. In 1991, the American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (ACAAI) stated clearly that MSG is not an allergen.

No, MSG does not cause or exacerbate asthma. The FDA, as well as scientific and regulatory bodies around the world, agrees MSG is a safe food ingredient and does not trigger asthma. Extensive research in the United States has repeatedly failed to document any link between MSG and asthma, including studies at The Scripps Research Institute, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard Medical School, and Beth Israel Hospital.

Yes, scientific and regulatory authorities worldwide, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the European Commission Scientific Committee for Food, and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), have reviewed the research on MSG and have repeatedly affirmed its safety for the general population, including children.

Extensive research has shown MSG to be safe for all humans, including infants and pregnant women. Infants, including premature infants, metabolise glutamate as efficiently as adults. One point you might find interesting is the fact that glutamate is actually about ten times more abundant in breast milk than in cow's milk.

MSG contains only 12% sodium or one-third as much as salt. Since MSG is used at levels far less than salt in processed foods and at home, it contributes 1/20-1/30 of salt a rather insignificant amount of sodium to diet each day. Such small amount of sodium is not caused high blood pressure.

There is no scientific support for this claim. Glutamate is found naturally in protein-containing foods, such as meat, vegetables, poultry, and milk. Intake of these foods with cola is not caused drowsiness and excitement. MSG is used as flavor enhancer and generally used in processed foods within the range of 0.1 to 0.8% percent as the food is served. This is similar to levels of naturally occurring glutamate in various foods.