Is it true that eating MSG is harmful to health?

Is eating MSG harmful?

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a popular seasoning used to enhance the flavor of dishes, making them more delicious. MSG is often used in Asian countries such as Vietnam , Thailand, China, etc. This is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, a natural amino acid found in many foods such as meat, fish, and vegetables. MSG is used to enhance the umami taste - one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, salty, sour, and bitter.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam (Former Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition), MSG is a commonly used spice, which has been researched and evaluated for its safety by many prestigious medical organizations in the world. In more than 30 years of research, leading medical and health organizations in the world have evaluated MSG as a safe spice in food processing.

Illustration photo. (Photo source: Internet)

In 1987, at the 31st international scientific conference, JECFA (Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)) confirmed that MSG is a safe spice for use, and did not prescribe a daily dose for this spice.

In addition, other health organizations such as the European Community Scientific Committee on Food (EC/SCF) or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have also concluded that MSG is a safe spice and does not cause any negative effects on our health.

In Vietnam, the Ministry of Health also includes MSG in the list of food additives allowed for use in food processing. So MSG is not as harmful as many people think.

Experts say that, in essence, MSG is simply a spice used to season food. If used in small amounts, MSG is not toxic. It is only harmful when this spice is overused to create sweetness in cooking or if it is not used properly.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, former staff of the Institute of Biotechnology and Food (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), consuming too much MSG can cause brain dysfunction. In addition, excess MSG will also cause the liver and kidneys to work hard to eliminate toxic amino acids in this spice.

Besides, some habits of using MSG incorrectly also pose potential health risks such as:

Add MSG to the dish being cooked on the stove : According to experts, when cooking any type of food at high temperatures, you should not add MSG at this time. Because when MSG is suddenly exposed to heat, it will react, breaking the chemical bonds, making MSG harmful to health.

Add MSG to fried foods : When frying food in hot oil, adding MSG directly onto the surface of the food will cause the MSG to be difficult to dissolve, lose the characteristic flavor of the dish and harm the stomach.

Add MSG to cold dishes : MSG is difficult to dissolve at low temperatures. If you add MSG when the food is cold, the MSG will not dissolve, making the dish not only unappetizing but also giving a "sweet" taste when eating the MSG that has not completely dissolved.

How to use MSG safely?

Although MSG has many roles in cooking, it is not nutritious and cannot be replaced. The way MSG is used will directly affect each person's health. Therefore, although MSG does not cause cancer, you should still note the following:

Children, especially children under 2 years old, should not eat MSG because their taste buds are still developing. If they eat too often or too much MSG, it will change their taste and cause them to become “addicted” to MSG. Not to mention, the amount of sodium needed by children is also lower, so the amount of MSG added to food should also be adjusted accordingly.

Although MSG is considered safe by the FDA, there are exceptions. If you are allergic to MSG and have severe MSG intoxication, it is best to avoid using this seasoning.

In addition, there is currently no specific recommendation about MSG being harmful to health for a specific subject. Therefore, if you are having health problems, or have chronic diseases, you should be checked by a doctor to know exactly whether MSG is harmful to the body or not.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (JECFA) and the European Community Scientific Committee for Food (EC/SCF) confirm that MSG is a safe food additive with an unspecified daily dose.

In the circular of the Ministry of Health, MSG is on the list of food additives allowed to be used in food processing and does not specify a daily dose.

The daily dose is not specified, meaning that there is no regulation on how many grams of MSG each person can consume per day. MSG can be used in different doses according to each dish and taste and preference. However, similar to any other seasoning, eating too much MSG is not good for your health.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/thuc-hu-an-mi-chinh-gay-hai-cho-suc-khoe.html