Avoiding MSG? Know All Their AKAs (2024)

FAQs

What are the symptoms of MSG intolerance? ›

MSG has been associated with an increased risk of metabolic disorders, primarily due to animal studies that have linked the additive to insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, and diabetes ( 2 , 7 ).

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer often added to restaurant foods, canned vegetables, soups, deli meats and other foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that's generally recognized as safe.

MSG has been branded as a dangerous food ingredient for decades, especially associated with Chinese cuisine. The problematic controversy isn't rooted in science, but instead, racism.

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

MSG has been linked with obesity, metabolic disorders, Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, neurotoxic effects and detrimental effects on the reproductive organs.

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.

The European Union classifies it as a food additive permitted in certain foods and subject to quantitative limits. MSG has the HS code 29224220 and the E number E621.

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.

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

What is the surprising truth about MSG? ›

MSG contains only one-third the amount of sodium as table salt. Also, MSG amplifies and enhances the flavor of foods – whether it is naturally occurring or added to foods. The glutamate interacts with our taste buds, giving foods the umami, or savory, flavor.

In Canada, glutaminase is regulated as a food additive and must be declared on food labels in the list of ingredients. Although MSG is not regulated as a food additive, it must also be declared in the list of ingredients.

It is GRAS, Generally Recognized as Safe. There are people allergic to monosodium glutamate.

The problem with most options at the grocery store is they're loaded with monosodium glutamate (MSG), which can elevate brain levels of glutamate—one of the excitatory hormones we mentioned in the intro—and thereby increase anxiety and stress.

The trepidation associated with the chemical called MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is ingrained in Americans' consciousness — a fear that the flavor enhancer is the cause of health issues like headaches (maybe), breathing issues (only, maybe, in those allergic to it), obesity in giant doses (in rats).

A sensitive individual may suffer from headache, giddiness, sweating, abdominal pain, and urticaria within a few hours of consumption of MSG.

There is no specific treatment for MSG symptom complex, although over-the-counter medications can be used to treat individual symptoms during an episode. For example, Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Excedrin (aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine) may ease a headache.

An excessive consumption of MSG can cause a "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" and gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers. Therefore, the maximum dose of MSG should be reconsidered taking into account its influence on the secretory capacity of the stomach.

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.