Enhancing Worker Digital Experience: A Hands-on Workshop for Partners
MSG's Adverse Health Effects
1. Chapter 2
The purpose of this study was to investigate on the adverse effects of
Monosodium Glutamate on mans health and has been sub – divided into
5 sections namely Food additives, flavor enhancers, Monosodium
glutamate, Chinese restaurant syndrome and five risk groups.
Food additives
According to the Food and drug administration of the USA (FDA),
(www.fda.gov/food/ingredientsPackagingLabeling/foodAdditivesIngredients
/ucm09211.htm#foodadd) a food additive in its broadest sense is any sub
stance added to food. Legally the term has been referred to as “any substance
the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result
directly or indirectly in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the
characteristics of any food.” (FDA)
Additives are useful in controlling such things as decomposition and
deterioration, nutritional losses, loss of functional properties and aesthetic
value, but may not be used to disguise poor quality. This is suggested by the
world book encyclopedia F volume 7 page 302 of 1991.
Their use is due to subject to regulation in the 1958 Food Additives
Amendment to the food, drug and cosmetic (FD&C) act (USA) with exceptions
for prior sanctioned items and generally regarded as safe (GRAS) substances.
Encyclopedia Britannica volume 17 of 1768 on page 448 gives nutrients,
colorings, flavorings, flavor enhancers and antimicrobial preservatives as
examples of food additives.
Flavor enhancers
Encyclopedia Britannica volume 17 of 1768 on page 448 states that “flavors
can also be influenced by the addition of a flavor enhancer such as
monosodium glutamate, which intensifies perception of flavor.” Flavor
enhancers do not give food a flavor but intensify flavors already in food but
they could themselves be tasteless. Glenn and Susan Toole support in new
2. understanding biology for advanced level 4th edition part VI page 668 stating
that flavor enhancers modify the taste of food by seeming to make existing
flavors more prominent while themselves being tasteless.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
MSG was chemically derived from seaweed in the early 1900s, but is
manufactured commercially by the fermentation of starch, molasses, or sugar.
MSG is a GRAS substance (generally regarded as safe) to which a small
percentage of the public is severely allergic. The nutri-living blog – collected
reports of adverse reaction to MSG expresses that MSG is a processed food
additive and an extremely dangerous neurotoxin (excitotoxin) that shrivels
and kills brain cells in the hypothalamus and has been linked to numerous
symptoms that can even be fatal.
Encyclopedia Americana 2006 volume 19 on page 377 clarifies that MSG is a
white crystalline powder used by the food industry, restaurants, and home
cooks to enhance the flavor of meat, fish, fowl, vegetables and soups. MSG is
important in oriental cookery. Below is the chemical structure of MSG,
NaC5H8NO4 according to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium _glutamate.
+H3N
C CH2 O
O C H H2C C Na+
O- O-
Chinese restaurant syndrome
3. MSG was and is still being used in Chinese restaurants and before its effects
were known the signs and symptoms caused by it were called the Chinese
restaurant syndrome. People who visited Chinese restaurants suffered
from the effects of MSG used in food preparation by the restaurant chefs to
enhance the flavor of food and also have more customers since it is
addictive according to rense.com and the spofamerica.com. “While
glutamate is beneficial for people with high blood pressure it is causing
more symptoms for people having already low blood pressure!” says
www.chineserestaurantsyndrome.com/glutamate.php.
Risk groups
There are five risk groups in the society and these are the groups of people
whose health can be easily affected and are therefore more vulnerable to MSG
the risk groups are
The elderly
The lactating
The young
The pregnant
Asthmatics.