# Is MSG bad for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 7, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779 "2000-03-07T19:25:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/1 "2000-03-08T06:55:00Z")
Okay, here’s the link: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_086.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_086.html) I read the ingredient list on everything I buy in any grocery store, as my husband experiences indigestion, gas, etc. whenever he eats anything with MSG in it. We also have to specify no MSG when ordering Chinese. My mom reacts violently to food with MSG in it - within an hour of ingesting the stuff, she will become nauseous, usually to the point of vomiting. (I know, fun bunch, huh? 🙂 ) Is there any update to the effect that this “harmless” stuff has on people? And does it effect other people in these or in other ways? * * * Any similarities between your reality and mine are purely coincidental. ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/2 "2000-03-07T19:25:00Z")
Overall, while I’ve heard a reasonable amount of anecdotal evidence, I have yet to see much more then that to show that this substance is a danger to people in general. (as the no MSG website believes) I mean, you can find people who will have an allergic reaction to virtually anything. Some of these groups are quite large, yet the substance itself is still considered harmless (like milk for example) ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2000, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/3 "2000-03-07T19:27:00Z")
Ok, ok. To forstall any comments on a generalization. No, it’s not milk that people react to, it’s stuff like casein and inability to digest milk sugars (lactose). ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2000, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/4 "2000-03-07T19:33:00Z")
Would that be why there is a range of different reactions to it? Because it is an allergic reaction? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/5 "2000-03-08T00:14:00Z")
Um. Maybe, maybe not. According to [Glutamate and Monosodium Glutamate: Examining the Myths](http://ificinfo.health.org/review/ir-msg.htm), > [@](#): > > Physicians have documented many psychological factors that play a role in perception of food allergy or food sensitivity. (33, 34) Likewise, Parker and colleagues reported in 1993 that individuals with unconfirmed reactions to foods were influenced by popular news media. (35) However, many questions still persist about MSG’s role in food hypersensitivity. > > In 1991, after reviewing the literature on MSG and food allergy and safety, a panel of the American College of Allergy and Immunology concluded that MSG is not an allergen and reaffirmed its safety as a food ingredient. (36) and > [@](#): > > Though numerous studies have evaluated MSG’s possible causative role in food hypersensitivity, a majority of scientific challenges have failed to reproduce the adverse reactions many individuals associate with ingestion of MSG. (48) Studies measuring objective responses such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature and muscle tone have been unable to detect differences between persons fed MSG and placebo. > > Nonetheless, anecdotal reports suggest that a small percentage of the population may be sensitive to MSG. However, these reactions are mild and transitory. (11, 49) So, people aren’t allergic to MSG, they’re “sensitive” to it. Don’t ask me what the difference is. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/6 "2000-03-08T06:57:00Z")
The difference between being sensitive to something and being allergic is very clear cut. An allergig reaction is caused by your inmune system reacting to something it feels is a threat even though that something may not be harmful at all (e.g. pollen) whereas you are sensitive to something if that something directly causes discomfort or whatever. So we are sensitive to Chlorine Bleach (not allergic). According to this lactose intolerance is not an allergy ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/7 "2000-03-08T14:18:00Z")
Hmmm… Doesn’t seem all that clear cut to me. How can you determine whether the reaction that a person has is or is not caused by the immune system? I would think that vomiting suggests the body is trying to rid itself of a substance it sees as harmful - sounds more like an allergic reaction than a sensitivity, in that case. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/8 "2000-03-08T21:24:00Z")
It’s actually not that difficult to tell them apart chemically. Here’s an excerpt from a brochure of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology ([www.aaaai.org](http://www.aaaai.org)): "With a true food allergy, an individual’s immune system will overreact to an ordinarily harmless food. This is caused by an allergic antibody called IgE (Immunoglobulin E), which is found in people with allergies. Food allergy often may appear in someone who has family members with allergies, and symptoms may occur after that allergic individual consumes even a tiny amount of the food. “Food intolerance is sometimes confused with food allergy. Food intolerance refers to an abnormal physical response to a food or food additive that is not an allergic reaction. It differs from an allergy in that it does not involve the immune system. For instance, an individual may have uncomfortable abdominal symptoms after consuming milk. This reaction is most likely caused by a milk sugar (lactose) intolerance, in which the individual lacks the enzymes to break down milk sugar for proper digestion. Your allergist can help you determine the difference between intolerance and allergy and help you in establishing a management plan.” Testing for IgE is now pretty standard. Since it’s easier to test for allergies objectively, people seem to take them more seriously; I have had both and I’m not sure which I prefer. I’ve always suspected that an “MSG sensitivity” is actually a reaction to something else – different vegetables (for example, chinese cooking uses lots of bell peppers, which often cause gastric distress when not cooked thoroughly), spices, an excess of salt, etc. It just takes more searching. * * * …oh, never mind… ---
**Author:** ![KimKatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@KimKatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KimKatt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2000, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-msg-bad-for-you/779/9 "2000-03-09T14:49:00Z")
I love the wealth of information here 🙂