You might not be allergic to MSG

[freddyboy]

this doesn't really have much to do with weight loss, but it is health-related and I fond it to be interesting. Apparently, tons of blinds studies have been performed using MSG and a placebo and what was found was that there is no link to MSG and the symptoms that many people who claim they are allergic to it get, such as headache, feeling unwell, etc.

The researchers said that while people may be feeling unpleasant symptoms from certain foods, it may be the other plant-based spices in the food ingredient that could be causing a reaction and not the MSG.

So, yes, MSG is still a flavor enhancer and yes it does jack up sodium levels in food and should be avoided for the most part, but it seems that it causing allergic reactions in most people is quite simply unfounded. If you'd like to learn more, here's the link to the study.

Is MSG Bad for Your Health? - Science Friday

[tracy1976]

Hmm. That's an interesting study Freddy. It's true that a lot of people do complain about having sensitivities to it but it's also true that when MSG is in food, usually it's accompanied by a lot of other crap that you could very well be reacting to. That said, I would still avoid products with it as much as possible, if only because of the high sodium content that comes a long with it.

[treehuggertodd]

Hmm, interesting study. Be that as it may, MSG is still bad for you in my opinion. The high salt content and the fact that it typically is used in products that contain other bad-for-you ingredients still makes MSG something that should be avoided, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

[bigbobby]

Thanks for sharing this study! I never thought MSG was an allergy-causer for most people. I'm glad that I can now prove other people wrong haha.

[Nelly]

I agree that it's interesting, but I still think people should just avoid it as much as possible, whether they're trying to lose weight or not. Just because it might not be behind allergies that doesn't make it healthy.