# How MSG affects your health



## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

It's an interesting read, I learned from that. 

MSG, What exactly is it?


The food additive MSG (MonoSodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as "Natural Flavoring." MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and other brand-name coffee shops.

I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America.

In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese. They even have a name for the fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats."

When I heard this, I was shock ed. I went into my kitchen and checked the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the Campbell's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the "healthy low-fat" ones. The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label had something called Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein," which is just another name for Monosodium Glutamate.

It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children
everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different
names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they
don't catch on. (Other names for MSG are "Accent, "Ajinomoto," "Natural Meat Tenderizer," etc.)

But it didn't stop there.

When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn't use MSG.

But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they grudgingly provided,
sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere. Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant -- even the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSG in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice was MSG!

So why is MSG in so may of the foods we eat? Is it a preservative, or a
vitamin?

Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book, The Slow Poisoning of America, he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body.

Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat more.

A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us?

"Betcha can't eat [just] one," takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight! The MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.

Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday. The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these: "The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in obesity." Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT, Ribeiro IA. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002. "Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats." Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002
Aug. "Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in
spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors." Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima. Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar. "Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity." Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct. No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in 1978.

Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" have known about the side effects of MSG for decades. Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to diabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's. So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping this fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity epidemic we now see?

Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of the highest government health officials in Canada. While he was sitting in the government office, the official told him, "Sure, I know how bad MSG is. I wouldn't touch the stuff." But this top-level government official refuses to tell the public what he knows.

The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing issues with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industry may hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have been
addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price for it. Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food additive.

But what can I do about it? I'm just one voice! What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments are insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?

This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you the truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell you. The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this drug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone. With any luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation protecting those who are poisoning us.

The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on nicotine?

If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for us and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to the National Library of Medicine at < http://www.pubmed. com./> www.pubmed.com. Type in the words "MSG Obese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear. We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and we do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese, lethargic, addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while waiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation, blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders. With your help we can put an end to this poison. Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by distribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stop this "Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by the packaged food industry.

Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, so get the word out.



http://www.thinkscapes.com/The_ Erb_report_ on_MSG_to_ the_WHO.pdf


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## Sandie_Zitkus (Jun 25, 2007)

I've read this before and I do believe MSG is poison - but it is not the only one there is also:

sugar
antibiotics
hormones
pesticides

All of these things they add or feed to animals we eat contribute to disease and weight.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

Yeppers, not only MSG. It can be many other bad stuff in the foods. This is why organic trend has skyrocketed. I guess the food industry add it to make people hungry and beg for more food so they can make money, how greedy. Why can't they let people decide if they want to overeat or not. I don't like how they force them to do that.


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## Forgotten_Futures (Jun 25, 2007)

Does this stuff get metabolized out of your system at any point, or does it build up in fat cells like many other chemicals and drugs?


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## mossystate (Jun 25, 2007)

ExpandingHorizons said:


> Yeppers, not only MSG. It can be many other bad stuff in the foods. This is why organic trend has skyrocketed. I guess the food industry add it to make people hungry and beg for more food so they can make money, how greedy. Why can't they let people decide if they want to overeat or not. I don't like how they force them to do that.



Nothing to add here, just wanted to wave to a fellow Bothell=ite..well, now I am in Lake City...*waves*.


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## Sandie_Zitkus (Jun 25, 2007)

Forgotten_Futures said:


> Does this stuff get metabolized out of your system at any point, or does it build up in fat cells like many other chemicals and drugs?



I think it stays with you. Just one more reason why I amgoing organic veggie.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

mossystate said:


> Nothing to add here, just wanted to wave to a fellow Bothell=ite..well, now I am in Lake City...*waves*.



*waves* back and says "hello" fellow Washingtonian.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

I believe it sticks in your system in for a great while. I don't know how exactly it works, though. It's kinda like a drug that fattens you up, like a magic pill thing. Don't worry, I would never do that king of thing to someone. I prefer healthier and natural stuff, I'm into healthy trends. Darn those food industry affecting those billion dollars of health care costs.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

awww, but at least you can sue the companies who don't say that MSG is in the indegrents. They hide it in 25 different names. How do you make sure there is no MSG in the food? I don't find it funny living with that allergy.


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## Ruby Ripples (Jun 25, 2007)

MSG is a flavour enhancer, that is why is it put in food. Its cheaper than salt, and it does bring out the flavours in food. 

I'm very surprised and quite shocked that this isn't a big issue in the US. In the UK, msg has been known to be a problem,for a long time. To the extent that some stores now advertise all their "own brand" goods as free from additives, preservatives, artificial flavouring etc. People here are becoming very additive-aware, which is a really good thing and it's forcing manufacturer's to re-think what they put into food products. 

I have, since I developed viral arthritis eight years ago, become very sensitive to MSG. I can feel the joints in my fingers start to swell, just a few minutes after eating anything containing MSG. That is how I came to realise that Chinese restaurant food is the worst culprit. It is full of MSG. You think you are getting freshly cooked delicious food, yes you are, but they put MSG in it all. There is a Chinese takeaway near me that will try to accommodate me where they can, when the sauces etc have not alredy been pre-made. 

So next time you have Chinese food, ask them if they use MSG, im sure the answer will be yes. Interestingly Indian restaurants dont use it. I simply try to use as little processed food as I can, and cook most things from scratch. Otherwise I try to avoid anything containing MSG. I had to give up my favourite condiment "Aromat" which has a lovely flavour sprinkled on fries etc, but the first ingredient in the list was MSG. *sigh*


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

This is kind of an interesting article about glutamates (MSG and naturally occurring ones) from a biochemical level. Definitely, MSG is responsible, I feel, for much of the overconsumption of junk food in our culture, and it sure can make some people sick.


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## mossystate (Jun 25, 2007)

Ruby, I remember MSG being a topic of discussion much more in the past in this country, but the dialog sort of died down. 

This is a very eye opening thread!

I am amazed at all the places this stuff dwells.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

Hmmm, doesn't MSG taste kinda like seasoning salt? From what they describe from the link Miss Vickle shared with us describes sounds kinda like seasoning salt. I never tasted MSG directly, I wouldn't know the difference when it's in the food.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

I'm glad to give this a eye opening thread for all of us. I found that post in myspace bullitiens that my mom posted it for all of us to read.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

I don't think it has its own taste, but rather stimulates our taste buds to taste like something else. I'd heard that we have MSG receptors on our tongues and so even if we don't THINK we taste it, our bodies know it's there and respond. If that makes sense?

It's nasty stuff, to be sure. And I can't help but think it's part of the rise of obesity in our country. I know that when I eat junk food I often have a very strong desire to eat MORE junk food, whereas when I eat healthy stuff I am satisfied sooner, and for longer.

MSG would explain why I can polish off an entire bag of Sun Chips. I taste just ONE chip and I have a very strong urge to eat more, more, more even while feeling physically ill. That can't be good. And KFC? Don't get me started. I love that stuff, even though every time I eat it I feel physically ill.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

Wow, that sounds like a money making scheme that food industry. I know what you mean, I feel that way too. I try to stop from the urge to eat more of that. I always thought it's the taste of the food that makes me urge to eat more of that, but I just learned it's MSG that does the dirty job. That's why I try to avoid buying big brand processed food products and buy organic and healthier alternatives. Sometimes, I don't have much choice cause some organic products are expensive.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

ExpandingHorizons said:


> That's why I try to avoid buying big brand processed food products and buy organic and healthier alternatives. Sometimes, I don't have much choice cause some organic products are expensive.



Yup, it's tough. And even if you do try to cook at home, if you ... say... make a stir fry and use soy sauce? Guess what?! THAT has MSG too, unless you buy the kind without, which is more expensive. 

I don't buy into the whole paranoia that's outlined in the article but I do think that it is definitely used to make foods taste better, to encourage us to eat more -- and it's cheap. It's not unlike putting sugar in spaghetti sauce or using hydrogenated fats in cookies. It makes stuff taste better in about the cheapest way possible.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> Yup, it's tough. And even if you do try to cook at home, if you ... say... make a stir fry and use soy sauce? Guess what?! THAT has MSG too, unless you buy the kind without, which is more expensive.
> 
> I don't buy into the whole paranoia that's outlined in the article but I do think that it is definitely used to make foods taste better, to encourage us to eat more -- and it's cheap. It's not unlike putting sugar in spaghetti sauce or using hydrogenated fats in cookies. It makes stuff taste better in about the cheapest way possible.



Yeah, good point. Many foods you make at home also have msg sometimes, depending what you make. I wish that FDA or whatever make MSG illegal because it's causing so many health issues and obesity in a bad way. I know they care about cheapest alternatives to make food taste better. 

High Frucose corn syrup is also other bad stuff in the food, too. That indegrent is everywhere in almost every food products, it's weird.


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## MissToodles (Jun 25, 2007)

But many foods have naturally occuring glutmates: the afterforementioned soy sauce, aged cheeses, various pickled foods etc. MSG is a mainstay in Chinese cusinine and over a billion people there don't complain about headaches or palpatations.

http://www.msgmyth.com/hidename.htm


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

I think it's an issue of how rapidly they are absorbed in the body. The naturally occurring ones (with the exception of soy sauce) are bound to protein which causes them to be broken down much more slowly than free glutamates. Heck, it's even in breast milk, so it can't be ALL bad -- but again, it's broken down more slowly. Free glutamates could even be potentially broken down in the mouth, after being broken down by the enzymes in saliva.

And while Asians eat a lot of soy sauce, I think their diet isn't riddled with MSG -- as well as high fructose corn syrup and other additives as Expanding Horizons pointed out -- so that may make a difference. I really think it's more an additive thing (meaning if you add together all the additives in food), rather than just one thing or another.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

Thanks for that website link, I read and it's pretty informative on what has it and what doesn't. I'm not surprised that they add more other dirty food indegrents that we aren't aware of. 

Panda Express is a fast food chinese cuisine but they claim they don't add MSG in their foods and the sign says NO MSG added. 

My friend's girlfriend was slim 130 pounds in high school and ballooned to the peak of 330 something. She learned that the MSG and something else caused her to become fat. She decided to go organic and she realized it did help her lose weight, she's a bit under 300 pounds now.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

The perverse thing is that they can call it natural because it's made from natural ingredients. However, the process? Anything but natural or healthy. It's kind of gross, actually.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

I wish I knew if it's natural or man made chemical. I feel it's more man made than natural.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

ExpandingHorizons said:


> I wish I knew if it's natural or man made chemical. I feel it's more man made than natural.



It's man made from natural ingredients through the process of fermentation. So ... it's a little bit of both.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

Ahhh I see, thanks.


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## Sandie_Zitkus (Jun 25, 2007)

The number one health problem in China is high blood pressure - cause by a high sodium diet.


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## ZainTheInsane (Jun 25, 2007)

Ummm....MSG is produced in the body as well...it naturally occurs in a lot of foods such as meats (poultry, cow, sheep, venison, goat, etc), fish, milk, and many veggies as well. 

It has been linked with many nervous system diseases, as well as brain damage. 



> Under current FDA regulations, when MSG is added to a food, it must be identified as "monosodium glutamate" in the label's ingredient list. Each ingredient used to make a food must be declared by its name in this list.



Interesting how it should be labeled in all foods, and later clearly states that the FDA means a much broader category than is acknowledged.


Another interesting site I found...states the "nature" of MSG.

I don't know how reliable this is...but on Wikipedia it states :


> Glutamate itself is a widespread amino acid: it is found naturally in human bodies, and is found primarily in the bound form in protein-containing foods, such as mushrooms, seaweed, tomatoes, nuts, legumes, meats, and most dairy products. Only a fraction of the glutamate in foods is in a "free" form, and only free glutamate can enhance the flavour of foods. Part of the flavour-enhancing effect of tomatoes, fermented soy products, yeast extracts, certain sharp cheeses, and fermented or hydrolyzed protein products (such as soy sauce and soy bean paste) is due to the presence of free glutamate ions.



More here.

I just find it interesting that I likely eat as much MSG as most other people my age...yet on a near 5k calorie diet, I lose weight unless I exercise. I do tend to avoid fast foods, though I do eat things like Papa John's, Tom Wahl's, Wegman's subs, and other items that are fast foods so to speak. I also tend to like things that are salty over things that are sweet. I also drink a lot of milk, and eat a lot of meats.

So, for myself, I have yet to see any side effects...and I honestly hope I never do. It does encourage me to watch what I eat, but I honestly think that like Sodium Dichloride, and other naturally produced chemicals, MSG does metabolize. As far as the rate at which it does so...I have no idea.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

ZainTheInsane said:


> Ummm....MSG is produced in the body as well...it naturally occurs in a lot of foods such as meats (poultry, cow, sheep, venison, goat, etc), fish, milk, and many veggies as well.



Yup. If you read the thread you'll see how I even said it was in breast milk. However it's bound to proteins and as such is released into the body much more slowly -- not unlike the difference between table sugar and the sugar in corn. Table sugar? Immediately absorbed. Glucose in any number of whole grains or veggies? Takes longer to absorb. This makes a *huge* difference in the body's ability to break it down.

From Wikipedia:

_Because MSG is absorbed very quickly in the gastrointestinal tract (unlike glutamic acid-containing proteins in foods), MSG could spike blood plasma levels of glutamate.[8][9][10] Glutamic acid is in a class of chemicals known as excitotoxins, high levels of which have been shown in animal studies to cause damage to areas of the brain unprotected by the blood-brain barrier and that a variety of chronic diseases can arise out of this neurotoxicity.[11][12] The debate among scientists on the significance of these findings has been raging since the early 1970s, when Dr. John Olney found that high levels of glutamic acid caused damage to the brains of infant mice.[13] The debate is complex and has focused on several areas:

* Whether the increase in plasma glutamate levels from typical ingestion levels of MSG is enough to cause neurotoxicity in one dose or over time.
* Whether humans are susceptible to the neurotoxicity from glutamic acid seen in some animal experiments. It is known that the glutamate ion is important in memory retrieval in humans.
* Whether neurotoxicity from excitotoxins is caused by the combined effect of glutamic acid and other excitotoxins such as aspartic acid from aspartame.

At a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, the delegates had a split opinion on the issues related to neurotoxic effects from excitotoxic amino acids found in some additives such as MSG.[14]

Some scientists believe that humans and other primates are not as susceptible to excitotoxins as rodents and therefore there is little concern with glutamic acid from MSG.[15][16] While they agree that the combined effects of all food-based excitotoxins should be considered,[17] their measurements of the blood plasma levels of glutamic acid after ingestion of monosodium glutamate and aspartame demonstrate that there is not a cause for concern.[18] Other scientists feel that primates are susceptible to excitotoxic damage[19] and that humans concentrate excitotoxins in the blood more than other animals.[20] Based on these findings, they feel that humans are approximately 5-6 times more susceptible to the effects of excitotoxins than rodents are.[21] While they agree that typical use of MSG does not spike glutamic acid to extremely high levels in adults, they are particularly concerned with potential effects in infants and young children[22] and the potential long-term neurodegenerative effects of small-to-moderate spikes on plasma excitotoxin levels.[23]

_



> So, for myself, I have yet to see any side effects...and I honestly hope I never do. It does encourage me to watch what I eat, but I honestly think that like Sodium Dichloride, and other naturally produced chemicals, MSG does metabolize. As far as the rate at which it does so...I have no idea.



Part of the reason you do so well calorically speaking is related to a) your gender, and b) your age. My son is 20 years old and can eat a bunch of us under the table -- and yet he maintains a very svelte body. But he's 20. My husband, at 20, also packed away thousands of calories a day -- and maintained a weight of 135 at 6'2". These days he eats a very small fraction of what he ate before and maintains at roughly twice what he was 20 years ago. Lots of junk food then. Nearly none, now.

But you're right -- the body does break it down. If it didn't, it wouldn't be such a problem; however, any time something is broken down by the body it has an effect. How much depends on many factors -- amount, overall health of the individual, age, body size, probably genetics, and the like. I don't think MSG necessarily makes people stupid or causes neurological damage, as the rodent studies seem to suggest. However, it may explain the vast numbers of Americans who are glued to reality TV.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 25, 2007)

Sandie_Zitkus said:


> The number one health problem in China is high blood pressure - cause by a high sodium diet.



oh really? where did you hear about that? I think number one health problem in the us is heart disease, I think.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 25, 2007)

ExpandingHorizons said:


> oh really? where did you hear about that? I think number one health problem in the us is heart disease, I think.



I'm not sure what the #1 cause of death in China is, but what I learned in nursing school is that only 25% of people with normal blood pressure, and a little over half of those with hypertension are salt sensitive. In other words, reducing salt intake is by no means a given in terms of reducing blood pressure, but since we don't know who is salt sensitive (yet!), everyone gets the same advice. And it's good advice, since we get way way way more salt than we need in our typical American diet. Here's an article about it, which shows a pretty alarming risk of death in even normotensive folks from salt.

As for how MSG relates to sodium levels in the body, I'm not sure. It's different from NaCl in that it's not bound to chloride. Since our bodies are very good at moving sodium around -- they have to be to maintain the levels in the blood and tissues we need to shift fluids around -- I'm not sure how MSG plays a role in reducing sodium. Lots of people use MSG, in fact, instead of salt. Even though it's a salt. Go figure.  This is a cool article about MSG, its origins, and how it's made.

This has been an interesting thread and it's made me re-think some of the foods I eat (but that's a topic for the health confessions thread!)


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## Sandie_Zitkus (Jun 25, 2007)

ExpandingHorizons said:


> oh really? where did you hear about that? I think number one health problem in the us is heart disease, I think.



I was watching some program years ago about diet and health in other countries and I never forgot this one point. The Chinese consume too much salt in Soy Sauce and because of it HBP is their #1 health problem.


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## Tina (Jun 26, 2007)

Interesting articles posted here.

Vick, the link you posted states this towards the bottom:

_Only 10 percent of dietary sodium comes from salt added to food at the table, he continued. So, to reduce their salt intake, Americans should be careful about the sodium content in prepared, preserved, and processed foods. People should check food labels and watch out for high sodium items, including such processed foods as luncheon meats, prepared cheeses, canned vegetables, and baked products._

What the heck are "prepared cheeses"? Cheese Whiz, or what?

I try to watch my sodium, but I'm not always that good at it and should be, as I have high blood pressure. Just made some popcorn, and it had a somewhat heavy sprinkling of sea salt on it... :huh:


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 26, 2007)

That explains why chinese people consume a lot of soy sauce and high sodium contents. Chinese food taste so good but unhealthy sometimes.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 26, 2007)

missaf said:


> I have to stay away from Cheese Whiz, Cream Cheese, fresh cheeses from the deli, etc... Aged cheeses like Parma and Romana and Asiago are more safe. Feta is safe for the most part, too.



I think they have organic cheeses, you will be fine but they're expensive for sure. They don't add those chemicalized crap in the cheeses.


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## ExpandingHorizons (Jun 26, 2007)

> As for how MSG relates to sodium levels in the body, I'm not sure. It's different from NaCl in that it's not bound to chloride. Since our bodies are very good at moving sodium around -- they have to be to maintain the levels in the blood and tissues we need to shift fluids around -- I'm not sure how MSG plays a role in reducing sodium. Lots of people use MSG, in fact, instead of salt. Even though it's a salt. Go figure. This is a cool article about MSG, its origins, and how it's made.



Miss Vickie, thanks for sharing that article about how MSG was orginated, very interesting! I didn't know it was around for that long!


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## ChubbyBlackSista (Jul 13, 2007)

The only thing that I knew it was in is Chinese Food. But I eat it all the time and it never bothers me


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## Daknee (Jul 13, 2007)

ZainTheInsane said:


> Ummm....MSG is produced in the body as well...it naturally occurs in a lot of foods such as meats (poultry, cow, sheep, venison, goat, etc), fish, milk, and many veggies as well.
> 
> It has been linked with many nervous system diseases, as well as brain damage.
> 
> ...




I have to say MSG is *not* produced naturally by our bodies You may be thinking of MSM (Methy-Sulfonyl Methane) perhaps. This substance can be found in our foods and is produced naturally. MSG is totally manufactured and never found naturally.
Wikipedia definitions is for glutamate which is a different substance. If you "think" back to chemesty 101, I would be like saying water is the same as oxygen because water has oxygen in it. They are two totally different substances.


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## squurp (Jul 14, 2007)

ExpandingHorizons said:


> Yeah, good point. Many foods you make at home also have msg sometimes, depending what you make. I wish that FDA or whatever make MSG illegal because it's causing so many health issues and obesity in a bad way. I know they care about cheapest alternatives to make food taste better.
> 
> High Frucose corn syrup is also other bad stuff in the food, too. That indegrent is everywhere in almost every food products, it's weird.



Sugar, and high fructose corn syrup are not poisons. They are commonly found dietary items, although best consumed in moderation.

I personallly feel like someone is stabbing me in the stomach when I eat MSG. I have to avoid it, which makes eating out difficult, but my wife and I do ok neither of us are thin. Some people tolerate MSG quite well, others don't. I think its likely we'll find it is a genetic trigger somewhere along the line. Speaking of that, I find it unlikely the MSG treated rats are a huge thing. . .they can genetically obese rats:

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/may/mendel2019s-mouse


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