I have no doubt that there are lots of people who falsely believe they have reactions to MSG. There are lots of people who falsely believe they have reactions to gluten, but that doesn't mean that Celiac's disease doesn't exist.<p>The problem is that it is incredibly difficult to avoid MSG because it is not required to be labeled as such, but can be hidden behind a large number of other monikers such as 'Natural Flavors'.
I would be interested to know more about this, as I've always considered MSG something to avoid entirely. Unfortunately, the article doesn't really offer specifics as to <i>why</i> MSG is safe, apart from "so-and-so said it is".<p>Edit: Wow, thank you all for the information!
MSG in the US may be on labels in a variety of different ways, including "yeast extract". Why does something that is considered to not have any adverse effects labeled differently other than to confuse the consumer?<p>I myself am a gout sufferer, and MSG is one of my triggers. I didn't realise what was causing me to always have a bout of gout after eating Chinese food, so I would change what I ordered, what I ate to try and figure it out. Ultimately I started cooking my favourite dishes at home, using pre-made sauces bought at the store (they didn't mention MSG after all, and I had no idea that yeast extract was the same thing).<p>The restaurant near me claimed they did not cook with MSG, however the manufacturer for their soy sauce used for stir frying apparently added yeast extract (MSG by another name) and they were not aware of it.<p>These days I end up cooking at home more, which is probably healthier and better for my wallet in the long term.
MSG is absolutely delicious on steaks. The family recipe calls for garlic salt, black pepper, and msg. Grill on whatever grill you use (we used countertop grills like the george foreman). Perfection.
I thought this was going to be an article about Madison Square Garden. If you're thinking of clicking for that reason, it's not. It's about monosodium glutamate.
My wife gets a migraine within minutes of eating something with MSG. In fact, we figure something has MSG after the fact by the migraine. Homemade asian foods don't seem to bring it on as we're careful to keep that one ingredient out.
The article had a pretty clear position it was arguing for, so rather than read to the end, I jumped out of the author's narrative and searched PubMed (<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=monosodium+glutamate+randomized+controlled+trial+headache" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=monosodium+glutamat...</a>). Of the first page of results, two were randomized placebo-controlled trials of MSG administration (<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23565943" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23565943</a> and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9215242" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9215242</a>) and both had positive results.
I do not care about "the lack of evidence tying MSG to negative health effects", I am affected. It is not racism, stereotyping or "the nocebo effect", but something that is real.<p>One time that I had an MSG attack (racing heart) was when I cooked Zatarain's at home. Or perhaps, according the author, I want to secretly vilify the creole? Clickbait drivel.<p>"When it comes to MSG, the false connections are fairly innocuous for most people but may still cause unnecessary discomfort for some, either because they are experiencing the nocebo effect or depriving themselves of deliciousness."<p>I have been to 6 Asian countries for a time period of over 4 months total. I guess I must have been stereotyping them all along.