Health Impacts and Sensitivity
Scientific review dismisses link between glutamate and asthma, headaches and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
S.Jinap and P. Hajeb
This comprehensive review paper analyses the role of glutamate and its benefits. It explains that glutamate has many functions, including in promoting better nutrition in older people and in patients at risk of under nutrition. In addition, the review confirms that glutamate works well in reduced-sodium and reduced-fat dishes, reducing the total amount of sodium by 30-40% without reducing palatability. The review concludes that despite allegations which associate glutamate with asthma, migraine headache and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS), there is no science to support this claim. It also states that there is no consistent evidence to suggest that individuals may be uniquely sensitive to glutamate.
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Monosodium glutamate is not associated with obesity or a greater prevalence of weight gain over 5 years: findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese Adults
Shi Z. et al.
In this study, researchers, led by Zumin Shi from the Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, assessed dietary glutamate intakes in almost 1,300 Chinese people. The researchers observed that over 5 years of study, there was no link between MSG intake and weight gain, even in people with relatively high intakes of MSG.
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Providing up-to-date information about glutamate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and umami, including the flavor and taste of monosodium glutamate, as well as the role glutamate plays in our food and our bodies, and its nutritional benefits. IGIS bases its information on the extensive body of scientific evidence which confirms the safety and the benefits of these widely used food ingredients – glutamate and MSG.