Monday, April 13, 1998
Notorious MSG
CHEMISTRY: Your eating experience won’t be ruined if that
infamous seasoning is in your food
By Jennifer Cho
Daily Bruin Contributor
Let’s consider the occasional outing to the restaurant with
cloth napkins. He’s wearing pants with no holes in it and a shirt
with buttons. You’re wearing a Wonderbra and shoes that hurt your
feet. There’s a waiter hovering by with the remains of a smile, pad
and pen poised, waiting to take your order.
"But wait," you say. Horror of horrors, you cannot find the
disclaimer that quells your palpitating heart, the line that reads
"We use no MSG." You cry out, "We must leave this fearful place and
go forth to find a restaurant that considers the health of its
patrons and the hygiene of its dishes!"
But what do you really know about MSG? Some straight facts can
calm the savage beast inside you that secretly fears MSG. Not only
will it inform your mind but it may fill your tummy with a
well-deserved meal.
What is MSG? MSG is the acronym for monosodium glutamate, which
is a natural amino acid. Amino acids linked together make up all
proteins. However, MSG is an amino acid that is not tied up in
protein. It’s a free amino acid.
Many natural foods contain MSG in its free form. In fact, meat,
eggs, tomatoes and other fresh fruits and vegetables naturally
contain some MSG. It is for this reason that the FDA has approved
the labeling of MSG, also known as hydrolyzed vegetable protein
(HVP), as a "natural flavor," or just "flavoring" on
food-ingredient labels.
It is probably a large misconception that avoiding Chinese
restaurants means avoiding the flavor enhancer, MSG. In fact, most
of the MSG that is produced goes into frozen foods. Almost all
frozen foods contain MSG, as well most soups, chips, diet foods,
prepared sauces and salad dressings.
As students, we usually depend on restaurants (often in the form
of fast-food places) for our daily bread. Almost all restaurants,
no matter what type of cuisine, have MSG in their dishes, usually
in their soups and sauces. It is the rare and determined person who
is able to avoid the additive MSG on a daily basis.
We all know people who shy away from MSG. This usually takes the
form of avoiding Chinese restaurants. Dr. Ho Man Kwok first termed
the illness some people experience after eating Chinese food as the
"Chinese restaurant syndrome," or CRS.
Symptoms can include burning, chest pain, facial pressure,
nausea and headache. There is no doubt that CRS occurs in at least
a small fraction of the population. But the bulk of the literature
prove little evidence that MSG is actually involved.
Much of the evidence given by researchers has been
circumstantial. This is not to say that high doses of MSG, or a
combination of chemicals along with MSG, don’t give discomfort.
But a clinical link between MSG and food-related
hypersensitivity has been tough to prove. In some double-blind
studies, the addition of salt or MSG to foods invoked the same
CRS-type symptoms in volunteers. Symptoms of CRS usually develop
within 20 minutes after a Chinese meal but soon disappear. There
seem to be no long-term symptoms after repeated meals. Chinese
Restaurant Syndrome is particularly rare in children.
For those who have experienced CRS symptoms after a Chinese
meal, stay away from those particular restaurants where it
happened.
But for the other people who don’t have first-hand knowledge of
CRS discomfort, don’t be prejudiced by MSG alone, or for that
matter, Chinese restaurants. Go forth and taste for yourself.