MSG safe for most

Should I worry about MSG (monosodium glutamate) in foods? Is it safe?

For most people and in reasonable amounts, research seems to say, it's OK. MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in all kinds of foods, and it's gotten a bad rap over the years because of reports linking it to nerve damage in mice and adverse reactions in some people.

In 2007, a group of European researchers reviewed MSG studies and concluded that the substance is safe, according to an article in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

A 1995 report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology identified two groups of people who might be MSG-sensitive: those who develop symptoms after consuming large quantities of the substance, and severe asthmatics.

Symptoms include headache, nausea, weakness and a burning sensation in the back of the neck and the forearms. Some people complain of wheezing, changes in heart rate and difficult breathing. The Center for Science in the Public Interest says it's still unclear just how much MSG it takes to trigger a reaction in those who are particularly sensitive.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says there's no evidence that dietary MSG or glutamate contributes to Alzheimer's disease or other neurological diseases, causes brain lesions or damages nerve cells in humans.

Glutamate also occurs naturally in foods such as tomatoes, mushrooms, meat and Parmesan cheese, as well as hydrolyzed proteins, which are sometimes used in food in a manner similar to MSG.

(Ryckmanl(at)RockyMountainNews.com.)