Monosodium Glutamate; discuss.

[Mermaid]

Is this really the reason you wish you were a scientist?

[brewer]

Trying to figure out the ins and outs of MSG. What I've concluded so far from my research via google;
- It is the sodium salt of glutamate. A common amino acid that enhances flavor. 

- Tests where subjects consumed around 3 grams without food suffered temporary and mild symptoms such as; headaches, numbness, flushing, tingling, palpitations, and drowsiness. (You usually wouldn't consume it by itself.)

Source please. See the following references on MSG/Chinese Restaurent Synd:

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency...001126.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifest...q-20058196


- In excessive doses it can cause "neurotoxicity". Overexciting of the cells within the nervous system resulting in permanent neurological damage. It is difficult to get exacts on the dosage as the experiments that have been done have either been on mice or on humans in comparatively small doses up to around 10g. The only time adverse effects were reported from the human trials was when the msg was eaten by itself. The effects were temporary and minor.
(There is yet to be an experiment where a subject is force fed msg till they die. Lazy.)

Source please. 

- There is no clear linkage or evidence that msg causes cancer and all instances found would appear to be anecdotal. It would seem to have started with this publication in 1969. The MSG however was not isolated so the symptoms could be attributed to many other factors. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5764480

- One of the greatest proponents that MSG is a "killer" is Dr Joe Mercola who wrote this article. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola...91502.html (Completely unrelated fact; Joe makes a fortune by selling "natural remedies" at this site; http://www.mercola.com/)

Re Dr. Mercola:

http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html

http://www.quackwatch.org/search/webglim...ry=mercola

- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8085168 An experiment on mice from pubmed that, in my opinion, uses a too high a dose considering the size and species of test subjects. The equivalent dosage for a human would be far, far more than you would realistically consume in a month.

This source is about transplacental glutamate fetal damage. It is not applicapable in adults. In adults glutamate does not cross the blood-brain barrier. See:

http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rich...c6e2df.pdf


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19571220

- I wish I was a scientist.

If anyone has anything to add or wants to correct me I welcome it. Right now I'm conducting taste experiments. I try my exquisite cooking without the msg, then I try it with it. Using a small dosage so far, there is a slight difference but nothing radical. I suspect the amount in takeaways is far higher than I am using thus far but it is difficult to get exacts on how much they use.

See above in blue.

[Minimalist]

I'm still trying to figure out what "gluten" is.

It is actually a necessary element found in wheat products.  ONLY those who have celiac disease actually need gluten free products.  But, as usual, the retarded health nuts think they need gluten free products too, even though they clearly do not.  Those with celiac disease make up only a small portion of the population, and all those other people are merely following a fad without having done any real research.   Of course, a perpetuation of the problem is labeling items gluten free that never even contained any wheat.

Sounds like the health nazis.

[Alex K]

I swear, all the "health conscious" people in this country as well are now convinced that gluten is some kind of poison. This mass idiocy is so tiresome.

[TheRealJoeFish]

You should all know my answer by now:

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/MSG

"There is no evidence in the available information on [substance] that demonstrates a hazard to the public when it is used at levels that are now current and in the manner now practiced. However, it is not possible to determine, without additional data, whether a significant increase in consumption would constitute a dietary hazard."

[Reforged]

You should all know my answer by now:

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/MSG

"There is no evidence in the available information on [substance] that demonstrates a hazard to the public when it is used at levels that are now current and in the manner now practiced. However, it is not possible to determine, without additional data, whether a significant increase in consumption would constitute a dietary hazard."

Additional data has a chance of being discovered everyday, thats why its worth putting a subject on the table to discuss every now and then even if it would seem to have obvious conclusions.
Alright. So the consensus here is that the fear of msg is unfounded in the extreme and from what I've researched about msg I agree.

Part of the reason I'm looking into this is mainly to do with matters of dosage. Not necessarily safe dosages because thats of little concern but effective dosages. Example from wikipedia; 
"Pure MSG is reported not to have a pleasant taste until it is combined with a savory aroma.[Manuf. 11] The basic sensory function of MSG is attributed to its ability to enhance savory taste-active compounds when added in the proper concentration.[3] The optimum concentration varies by food; in clear soup, the pleasure score rapidly falls with the addition of more than one gram of MSG per 100 ml."
Well heres the rub... theres no recipe book I've found that tells you how much msg to put in each dish if you choose to. Plenty of no MSG books (which just sounds like a normal cook book to me but whatever) but proper measurements for MSG are actually pretty hard to find on google. The only ones I could find was on this page; http://www.msginfo.com/in_the_kitchen_quick.asp

Another issue; if someone uses it regularly is this cheating? In essence I could be a terrible cook but if I put this in total crap it will taste edible.
Its rather like bringing in a machine gun to a fist fight.

[TheRealJoeFish]

...

Another issue; if someone uses it regularly is this cheating? In essence I could be a terrible cook but if I put this in total crap it will taste edible.
Its rather like bringing in a machine gun to a fist fight.

I believe that yes, generally, professional high-class chefs and gourmets consider this cheating, like covering food with salt to hide the fact that it has no taste on its own.

[Edwardo Piet]

I'm still trying to figure out what "gluten" is.

It is actually a necessary element found in wheat products.  ONLY those who have celiac disease actually need gluten free products.  But, as usual, the retarded health nuts think they need gluten free products too, even though they clearly do not.  

What are you talking about? Haven't you heard? Gluten will make your dick fly off!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbMq7Pme5pk

[Reforged]

...

Another issue; if someone uses it regularly is this cheating? In essence I could be a terrible cook but if I put this in total crap it will taste edible.
Its rather like bringing in a machine gun to a fist fight.

I believe that yes, generally, professional high-class chefs and gourmets consider this cheating, like covering food with salt to hide the fact that it has no taste on its own.

This more or less explains every takeaway I've ever had.
I mean most don't use fresh ingredients, they prepare *loads* of them in a very short space of time and no non-takeaway meal ever comes close to the taste. 
Going to see if I can recreate the taste of a takeaway burger via MSG this weekend.