MSG has long been misunderstood, with fears of health risks overshadowing its origins in natural ingredients and culinary science. Is it finally time to clear its name?
It is the three-letter acronym that has become culinary taboo. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is pretty notorious for its bad reputation in the culinary world. Even for most of us, when we come across packaged foods or menus labelled “no MSG”, we mentally process it as an immediate boost to the value.
And why not? There are a lot of reasons for us to look down on this food additive. From claims of causing headaches to being linked to various health risks, MSG has been shrouded in quite a fair bit of controversy.
But are these concerns truly grounded in science, or are they simply the result of fallacies and myths?
The Beginnings of MSG
Let’s start from its conception.
And what sparked it? Seaweed broth.
Specifically, the seaweed broth made for biochemist Dr Kikunae Ikeda by his wife one evening in 1908 Japan.
Seaweed has long been a traditional Japanese ingredient, and upon realising the surprising meatiness of this vegetable dish, Dr Ikeda was inspired to try to extract the exact element that generated this flavour, with his wife’s broth as the base of his experiments. The result was a crystalline compound known as MSG.
And thus, the fifth flavour, umami, was brought to life.
A year later, he cofounded food corporation Ajinomoto to share it with the rest of his countrymen, before it went international and, admittedly due to colonialism, spread all over East Asia.
China was particularly enamoured with MSG, and it eventually became closely tied to its food culture.
When It All Went Wrong
The discovery of the umami flavour transformed the way people perceived food. Its ability to draw out more savoury tastes in dishes with just a sprinkle meant that MSG seasoning became a staple in many Asian households.
But then came the 1960s.
Whenever paediatrician Robert Ho Man Kwok entered an American Chinese restaurant, he would come out feeling heart palpitations, weakness, and numbness.
He decided that the cause of his symptoms might be MSG, and wrote about it to the New England Journal of Medicine.
The journal published his letter in 1968, and it gave birth to a new term associated with MSG: “Chinese restaurant syndrome”.
And thus began a hate campaign against MSG.
Initial, and very questionable, studies trying to prove the syndrome showed relationships between MSG consumption and headaches, obesity, and other health issues.
People steered clear of it believing it’s a chemical product, and for fear of its supposed side effects – which were numerous.
And restaurants and food manufacturers divorced themselves from this flavouring to keep customers appeased.
The negative perception of MSG has persisted even until today.
But are the claims surrounding the safety of MSG valid?
Setting A Few Things Straight
It should be pointed out that prior to the publication of that letter, people around the world had fully enjoyed MSG and generally displayed little to no side effects for decades.
So let’s try to understand how they got off consuming MSG scot-free, while trying to turn things around for this often-misunderstood product.
Is MSG really an unnatural ingredient?
Despite having a name that conjures visions of it being spawned in a lab, MSG truly is a natural ingredient.
According to Clinical Dietitian Jaclyn Reutens of Aptima Nutrition & Sports Consultants in CNA: “MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, which is a naturally occurring amino acid.”
This salt is created through the process of fermenting plant-based ingredients.
“When a protein that contains glutamic acid is broken down through fermentation, it becomes glutamate. Glutamate activates our taste receptors, eliciting the savoury response that we know as umami.”
To exemplify this further, you can actually taste the umami in tomatoes and cheese, because MSG can naturally occur in such foods – no added flavouring needed.
Is MSG bad for your health?
From stomach discomforts to hair loss to cancer, MSG may help with a variety of health problems.
The constant association of MSG with unhealthy foods like potato chips, instant noodles, and processed meats – all of which can genuinely contribute to health problems – further damages its reputation.
However, these were conclusions reached in flawed studies performed post-letter.
The more stringent studies of today have tried to determine the validity of these health claims, but many shared a finding: there is insufficient evidence to suggest that MSG hurts your health.
And its status following the stance of food authorities worldwide prove it.
“After numerous years of better-quality clinical studies, international food safety organisations such as Food And Drug Administration, and European Food Safety Association have now considered MSG to be Generally Recognised As Safe or GRAS,” asserted Reutens.
Although, for some people, eating MSG may still elicit a reaction.
“The mechanism between MSG, headaches and numbness is not fully understood,” she explained. “It could be that the amino acid found in MSG binds to certain receptors in the brain that release nitric oxide, which then leads to the dilation of blood vessels around the skull causing headaches. However, these reactions are often mild and do not need to be treated.”
For such people, you can simply avoid foods with MSG. After all, there are other food additives out there for you to appreciate.
Stepping Towards a More Flavourful Future
In the end, MSG isn’t quite the food boogeyman we’ve always been told it is.
However, as with any other food, the best way to consume it is in moderation.
High doses of 3g of MSG per day really might spike your blood pressure and get you feeling lightheaded – but no one is also eating that much seasoning at a time.
Even us umami-loving Asians would only have up to 1.7 grams a day.
It is time to reframe the conversation. MSG is not a villain. It is a flavour enhancer, born from nature, validated by science, and unfairly maligned for decades.
As with all ingredients, moderation is key. But if you have been avoiding MSG thinking it is toxic, it may be time to reconsider.
After all, who would call a tomato unhealthy?
External References
- Ajinomoto Group. (n.d.). What is MSG and How is it Made? Retrieved from: https://www.ajinomoto.com/msg/what-is-msg-and-how-is-it-made
- Kean, S. (2023, March 2). The Rotten Science Behind the MSG Scare. Science History Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-rotten-science-behind-the-msg-scare/
- Khoo, B. K. (2024, November 3). MSG’s bad rap: Why don’t chefs admit they use it? Is it better than salt? What’s the best way to use it? CNA. Retrieved from: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/msg-sodium-salt-umami-flavour-enhancer-412886
- Kubala, J. (2023, February 13). 8 Foods That Contain MSG. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-with-msg
- Lui, M. (2025, January 8). How MSG got its stigma and those redeeming the ingredient to combat Asian hate. South China Morning Post. Retrieved from: https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3293882/how-msg-got-its-stigma-and-those-redeeming-ingredient-combat-asian-hate?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article
- Mayo Clinic. (2025, May 27). What is MSG? Is it bad for you? Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/monosodium-glutamate/faq-20058196
- Paulo, D. A., & Alshahab, S. F. (2022, June 25). You think you know about MSG? It’s time to separate fact from fallacy. CNA. Retrieved from: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/msg-glutamate-bad-health-why-avoid-hair-loss-headaches-2768446
- Warner, L. (2024, July 2). Monosodium glutamate (MSG): What it is, and why you might consider avoiding foods that contain it. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/monosodium-glutamate-msg-what-it-is-and-why-you-might-consider-avoiding-foods-that-contain-it
- Zanfirescu, A., Ungurianu, A., Tsatsakis, A. M., Nițulescu, G. M., Kouretas, D., Veskoukis, A., Tsoukalas, D., Engin, A. B., Aschner, M., & Margină, D. (2019). A review of the alleged health hazards of monosodium glutamate. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 18(4), 1111–1134. Retrieved from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6952072/
