Technically there is no such thing as an MSG allergy. Research at John Hopkins Medical University has determined that MSG can create an asthma response, but the immune system does not respond as if MSG is an allergen. However, MSG does have substantial impact on the body.
MSG does cause a reaction in the body. It's just not an MSG allergy that occurs. It's a different biological response, but it is very real. Technically, it would be called a 'food sensitivity', except MSG isn't really a food. It's a chemical and it damages the body. And because the damage may take years to manifest it is rarely connected to the consumption of MSG.
True food allergies only affect about 5% of the population. With a true allergy, the immune system would respond with antibodies. MSG does not trigger an immune response, but call it what you will, MSG most definitely causes a physical reaction. People who believe they have an MSG allergy are actually simply more sensitive to it.
MSG is shorthand for Monosodium Glutamate. It's a highly processed flavor enhancer usually made from vegetable protein. Chemically, it resembles the glutamate that naturally occurs in the body that is essential for dozens of body processes. However, too much glutamate throws these processes out of balance and causes what is often described as an MSG allergy.
Manufactured glutamate, such as MSG, is not identical to the glutamate made by the body and can cause harm. Food companies use MSG specifically because it targets and stimulates nerves in the mouth and brain. It also stimulates the nerve centers for hunger, taste and smell. MSG is essentially a drug, much like alcohol or caffeine.
MSG indirectly influences the pituitary by affecting the hypothalamus. This relationship causes brain cells to fire across the synapsis like an unregulated open switch. This unceasing impulse eventually causes cell death. This is why MSG is considered by many doctors to be an excitotoxin. The result may be mistaken as an MSG allergy.
The bottom line is MSG will make you fat. This clearly is not the same as an MSG allergy, but it is the result of MSG interacting with the body. MSG fools the taste buds and the brain. It creates the illusion that you are eating something nutritious when actually you're not.
A lot happens when the body is fooled by MSG, but the simplest way to understand it is to realize that MSG defeats your body's mechanism for feeling satisfied with a meal. MSG makes you want to keep eating. That's why you can't eat just one chip, or cookie, Moonpie or whatever. That's why we're fat and getting fatter.
MSG does cause a reaction in the body. It's just not an MSG allergy that occurs. It's a different biological response, but it is very real. Technically, it would be called a 'food sensitivity', except MSG isn't really a food. It's a chemical and it damages the body. And because the damage may take years to manifest it is rarely connected to the consumption of MSG.
True food allergies only affect about 5% of the population. With a true allergy, the immune system would respond with antibodies. MSG does not trigger an immune response, but call it what you will, MSG most definitely causes a physical reaction. People who believe they have an MSG allergy are actually simply more sensitive to it.
MSG is shorthand for Monosodium Glutamate. It's a highly processed flavor enhancer usually made from vegetable protein. Chemically, it resembles the glutamate that naturally occurs in the body that is essential for dozens of body processes. However, too much glutamate throws these processes out of balance and causes what is often described as an MSG allergy.
Manufactured glutamate, such as MSG, is not identical to the glutamate made by the body and can cause harm. Food companies use MSG specifically because it targets and stimulates nerves in the mouth and brain. It also stimulates the nerve centers for hunger, taste and smell. MSG is essentially a drug, much like alcohol or caffeine.
MSG indirectly influences the pituitary by affecting the hypothalamus. This relationship causes brain cells to fire across the synapsis like an unregulated open switch. This unceasing impulse eventually causes cell death. This is why MSG is considered by many doctors to be an excitotoxin. The result may be mistaken as an MSG allergy.
The bottom line is MSG will make you fat. This clearly is not the same as an MSG allergy, but it is the result of MSG interacting with the body. MSG fools the taste buds and the brain. It creates the illusion that you are eating something nutritious when actually you're not.
A lot happens when the body is fooled by MSG, but the simplest way to understand it is to realize that MSG defeats your body's mechanism for feeling satisfied with a meal. MSG makes you want to keep eating. That's why you can't eat just one chip, or cookie, Moonpie or whatever. That's why we're fat and getting fatter.
About the Author:
MSG is everywhere. It's in processed food and it's in take-out food too. And MSG goes by many different names so a take-out or food company can legally claim they do not use MSG in their products when actually they do. To learn more about MSG visit: MSG Allergy. To watch a video describing the impact of MSG on your brain see: MSG And Your Brain.
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