Technically there is no such thing as an MSG allergy. Research at John Hopkins Medical University has determined that MSG can create an asthma response, but the immune system does not respond as if MSG is an allergen. However, MSG does have substantial impact on the body.
While MSG allergy may not specifically exist, the food additive most definitely causes a reaction in the body. It may seem like a game of semantics, but the body's reaction to MSG is more like a food sensitivity, although MSG is not a food. Make no mistake, MSG damages the body and because the damage takes years to become apparent it will not be associated with MSG.
Only about 5 percent of the population have a food allergy of any kind. An MSG allergy would put the body's immune system on high alert. This does not happen when MSG is ingested. However, something does happen when MSG is ingested and technically it's a food sensitivity. Semantics for sure, but a reaction by any other name is still a reaction.
MSG is short for Monosodium Glutamate, a flavor enhancer used in most manufactured food products. Glutamate occurs naturally in the body and is essential for many body processes. However, an excess of glutamate throws the chemistry of the body out of balance and contributes to a wide range of health issues.
The glutamate that is added to processed foods is not the same glutamate the body manufactures. The artificial glutamate is specifically damaging to the nerves of the body, including brain tissue. Food processors add MSG to their products precisely because it stimulates hunger by exciting the nerves associated with taste and smell.
It may be that MSG also affects hormone production throughout the body by way of the hypothalamus and the pituitary. While not a true MSG allergy, glutamate does excite the cells of the brain, causing them to fire relentlessly. Eventually, the cells die of exhaustion.
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.
While MSG allergy may not specifically exist, the food additive most definitely causes a reaction in the body. It may seem like a game of semantics, but the body's reaction to MSG is more like a food sensitivity, although MSG is not a food. Make no mistake, MSG damages the body and because the damage takes years to become apparent it will not be associated with MSG.
Only about 5 percent of the population have a food allergy of any kind. An MSG allergy would put the body's immune system on high alert. This does not happen when MSG is ingested. However, something does happen when MSG is ingested and technically it's a food sensitivity. Semantics for sure, but a reaction by any other name is still a reaction.
MSG is short for Monosodium Glutamate, a flavor enhancer used in most manufactured food products. Glutamate occurs naturally in the body and is essential for many body processes. However, an excess of glutamate throws the chemistry of the body out of balance and contributes to a wide range of health issues.
The glutamate that is added to processed foods is not the same glutamate the body manufactures. The artificial glutamate is specifically damaging to the nerves of the body, including brain tissue. Food processors add MSG to their products precisely because it stimulates hunger by exciting the nerves associated with taste and smell.
It may be that MSG also affects hormone production throughout the body by way of the hypothalamus and the pituitary. While not a true MSG allergy, glutamate does excite the cells of the brain, causing them to fire relentlessly. Eventually, the cells die of exhaustion.
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 manufactured food and it's in fast food too. And MSG goes by many different names so a fast or food company can legally claim they do not use MSG in their foods 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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