MSG can have a profound negative affect on the body and even cause symptoms of asthma, but technically there is no such thing as an MSG allergy. Research by John Hopkins has determined that MSG will cause asthma in some patients, but it does not trigger an allergic response.
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.
The easiest way to understand the impact MSG has on the body is to understand that it shuts down the brain's ability to sense when it is satisfied from eating. MSG drives us to eat more and more, regardless if we're busting at the seams. No wonder we can't eat just one snack chip and no wonder we're all 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.
The easiest way to understand the impact MSG has on the body is to understand that it shuts down the brain's ability to sense when it is satisfied from eating. MSG drives us to eat more and more, regardless if we're busting at the seams. No wonder we can't eat just one snack chip and no wonder we're all 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 labels 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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