What’s The Deal With MSG?

There are a lot of popular beliefs about MSG. Is there a grain of truth, or should we take them with a grain of salt? We’ll leap straight into myth-busting:

MSG is high in salt

True (technically) False (practically)

• MSG is a salt (a monosodium salt of L-glutamic acid), but to call it “full of salt” in practical terms is like calling coffee “full of fruit”. (Coffee beans are botanically fruit)
• It does contain sodium, though which is what the S stands for!
• We talked previously about how MSG’s sodium content is much lower than that of (table) salt. Specifically, it’s about one third of that of sodium chloride (e.g. table salt).

MSG triggers gluten sensitivity

False!

Or at least, because this kind of absolute negative is hard to prove in science, what we can say categorically is: it does not contain gluten. We understand that the similar name can cause that confusion. However:

• Gluten is a protein, found in wheat (and thus wheat-based foods).
• Glutamate is an amino acid, found in protein-rich foods.
• If you’re thinking “but proteins are made from amino acids”, yes, they are, but the foundational amino acid of gluten is glutamine, not glutamate. Different bricks → different house!

The body can’t process MSG correctly

False!

The body has glutamate receptors throughout the gut and nervous system.

The body metabolizes glutamate from MSG just the same as from any other food that contains it naturally.

Read: Update on food safety of monosodium l-glutamate (MSG) ← evidence-based safety review

MSG causes “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”

False!

Racism causes that. It finds its origins in what was originally intended as a satirical joke, that the papers picked up and ran with, giving it that name in the 1960s. As to why it grew and persisted, that has more to do with US politics (the US has been often at odds with China for a long time) and xenophobia (people distrust immigrants, such as those who opened restaurants), including nationalistic rhetoric associating immigrants with diseases.

Read: Xenophobia in America in the Age of Coronavirus and Beyond ← academic paper that gives quite a compact yet comprehensive overview

Research science, meanwhile, has not found any such correlation, in more than 40 years of looking.

PS: we realize this item in the list is very US-centric. Apologies to our non-US subscribers. We know that this belief isn’t so much of a thing outside the US—though it certainly can crop up elsewhere sometimes, too.

Are there any health risks associated with MSG, then?

Well, as noted, it does contain sodium, albeit much less than table salt. So… do go easy on it, all the same.

Aside from that, the LD50 (a way of measuring toxicity) of MSG is 15.8g/kg, so if for example you weigh 150lb (68 kg), don’t eat 2.2lb (a kilogram) of MSG.

There have been some studies on rats (or in one case, fruit flies) that found high doses of MSG could cause heart problems and/or promote obesity. However:

• this has not been observed to be the case in humans
• those doses were really high, ranging from 1g/kg to 8g/kg. So that’d be the equivalent of our 150lb person eating it by the cupful
• it was injected (as a solution) into the rats, not ingested by them
• so don’t let someone inject you with a cup of MSG!

Read: A review of the alleged health hazards of monosodium glutamate

Bottom line on MSG and health:

Enjoy in moderation, but enjoy if you wish! MSG is just the salt form of the amino acid glutamate, which is found naturally in many foods, including shrimp, seaweed, and tomatoes.

Scientists have spent more than 40 years trying to find health risks for MSG, and will probably keep trying (which is as science should be), but for now… Everything has either come up negative, or has been the result of injecting laboratory animals with megadoses.

If you’d like to try it in your cooking as a low-sodium way to bring out the flavor of your dishes, you can order it online. Cheapest in bulk, but try it and see if you like it first!

(I’ll be real with you… I have 5 kg in the pantry myself and use about half a teaspoon a day, cooking for two)

Migraine: When Headaches Are The Tip Of The Neurological Iceberg

Yesterday, we asked you “What is a migraine?” and got the above-depicted, below-described spread of responses:

• Just under 46% said “a headache, but above a certain level of severity”
• Just under 23% said “a headache, but caused by a neurological disorder”
• Just over 21% said “a neurological disorder that can cause headaches”
• Just under 10% said “a headache, but with an attention-grabbing name”

So… What does the science say?

A migraine is a headache, but above a certain level of severity: True or False?

While that’s usually a very noticeable part of it… That’s only one part of it, and not a required diagnostic criterion. So, in terms of defining what a migraine is, False.

Indeed, migraine may occur without any headache, let alone a severe one, for example: Abdominal Migraine—though this is much less well-researched than the more common with-headache varieties.

Here are the defining characteristics of a migraine, with the handy mnemonic 5-4-3-2-1:

• 5 or more attacks
• 4 hours to 3 days in duration
• 2 or more of the following:
  • Unilateral (affects only one side of the head)
  • Pulsating
  • Moderate or severe pain intensity
  • Worsened by or causing avoidance of routine physical activity
• 1 or more of the following:
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Sensitivity to both light and sound

Source: Cephalalgia | ICHD-II Classification: Parts 1–3: Primary, Secondary and Other

As one of our subscribers wrote:

❝I have chronic migraine, and it is NOT fun. It takes away from my enjoyment of family activities, time with friends, and even enjoying alone time. Anyone who says a migraine is just a bad headache has not had to deal with vertigo, nausea, loss of balance, photophobia, light sensitivity, or a host of other symptoms.❞

Migraine is a neurological disorder: True or False?

True! While the underlying causes aren’t known, what is known is that there are genetic and neurological factors at play.

❝Migraine is a recurrent, disabling neurological disorder. The World Health Organization ranks migraine as the most prevalent, disabling, long-term neurological condition when taking into account years lost due to disability.

Considerable progress has been made in elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms of migraine, associated genetic factors that may influence susceptibility to the disease❞

Source: JHP | Mechanisms of migraine as a chronic evolutive condition

Migraine is just a headache with a more attention-grabbing name: True or False?

Clearly, False.

As we’ve already covered why above, we’ll just close today with a nod to an old joke amongst people with chronic illnesses in general:

“Are you just saying that because you want attention?”

“Yes… Medical attention!”

Want to learn more?

You can find a lot of resources at…

NIH | National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke | Migraine

and…

The Migraine Trust ← helpfully, this one has a “Calm mode” to tone down the colorscheme of the website!

Particularly useful from the above site are its pages:

• Common migraine attack triggers
• Treatment options

Take care!