61% Of Respondents Use MSG in Their Cooking

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been subjected to controversy and misinformation for decades. Often wrongly portrayed as an unhealthy additive causing adverse reactions, MSG is gradually being reevaluated and understood differently.

MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid found in various foods. Flavor-enhancing ingredient MSG taste is known as umami, contributing to the overall flavor profile.

The controversy surrounding MSG originated from a misidentification in the 1960s when symptoms associated with “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” were mistakenly attributed to MSG. However, scientific research conducted over the years has failed to establish a direct link between MSG and adverse health effects. Reputable organizations, including the FDA, have found no evidence supporting claims of MSG intolerance or allergies.

Regulatory bodies worldwide, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority, have consistently recognized MSG as safe for consumption within recommended limits. Understanding the scientific evidence can help dispel these misconceptions and provide reassurance to society.

To gauge public perceptions, Real Research, an online survey app, conducted a survey on the use of MSG, an often misunderstood ingredient, shedding light on the evolving understanding of the MSG health effects.

Highlights:

• 41.02% have experienced adverse effects attributed to MSG.
• 35.99% believe MSG has critical side effects.
• 47.19% find the claims of MSG being a toxic ingredient to be credible.

First, we inquired about the respondents’ familiarity with the flavor-enhancing substance MSG. MSG was known to 39.8% to some extent and 39.25% in a very familiar sense. 20.95% of respondents, however, were unfamiliar.

MSG Use: The Survey Reveals

We asked the respondents about their use of MSG in food preparation or cooking. According to our survey results, it is used by 61% of respondents, with the addition of respondents who occasionally use it and respondents who normally use it, compared to 39% who don’t.

MSG has been the subject of much controversy, with some people claiming that it can cause a variety of health problems, including headaches, nausea, and sweating. However, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims. In fact, the FDA has classified MSG as a food additive that is generally recognized as safe.

A 1995 review of the scientific literature on MSG by the National Academy of Sciences found no evidence that MSG causes any adverse health effects in healthy adults. The review also found that MSG is no more likely to cause adverse reactions than other food additives, such as salt or sugar.

According to Figure 1, the majority of respondents (67.14%) are aware of the myths surrounding MSG and MSG health effects, as opposed to 32.86% of those who are not.

In the following poll, we asked the respondents whether they believe that MSG health effects are adverse. 35.99% said yes, 31.73% said no, and 32.28% were unsure about it.

Then we asked them if they had experienced any negative MSG health effects. A majority of the respondents (58.98%) said no, compared to 41.02% who said yes.

Negative MSG Health Effects

When asked to list the negative effects of consuming MSG, respondents in the following survey most frequently mentioned headaches and migraines (41.4%), followed by an allergic reaction (25.32%), weight gain (15.29%), face pressure or tightness (5.07%), numbness or tingling (2.31%), and fluttering heartbeats (1.97%).

According to sources, while some people may experience mild symptoms after consuming MSG, these symptoms are not caused by MSG itself. Instead, they are caused by a condition called MSG sensitivity, which is a rare condition that affects only a small number of people.

MSG sensitivity is not an allergic reaction, and it is not caused by MSG being toxic. Instead, it is thought to be caused by a combination of factors, such as genetics and gut health.

We asked our respondents whether they believed the claims that MSG is a toxic ingredient credible. 47.19% said highly likely and 27.52% said somewhat likely. On the other hand, 10.59% said somewhat unlikely and 4.4% said highly unlikely. Meanwhile, 10.3% of the respondents were uncertain.

Finally, the study questioned participants if they thought that, in light of chefs’ and culinary professionals’ growing acceptance of and promotion of MSG use, the general public’s image of the ingredient had begun to change recently.

Results revealed that a majority (50.84%) said probably, while 27.89% said definitely, 17.07% said probably not, and 4.2% said definitely not.