The myth of MSG causing harm is another crap that we have been peddled with time and again.Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as sodium glutamate, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids. Now the reason why People think MSG is bad is obviously the name since it contains Chemicals! What many dont know is that it is in fact extracted from Kappa(Tubers)! The persistence of this MSG myth is a symptom of the hypochondria that has become fashionable in contemporary Indo-Anglo-American culture, and the failure of our educational systems to teach people the difference between quackery and hard science. First, what exactly is MSG. This is the point that makes many scientists laugh, because MSG is simply the sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid which is the building block of proteins. You get glutamic acid from almost every food you eat from grains to meat. Some grain proteins have over 30% by weight glutamic acid. Since glutamic acid doesn’t exist except in the presence of water, it precipitates with sodium or other cations (potassium, lithium, and others). Hence, the “monosodium” part of MSG. Here’s the actual science behind glutamates (feel free to skip it if chemistry pains you). When glutamic acid or one of its salts is dissolved in aqueous solutions, a pH-dependent instantaneous chemical equilibrium of the amino acid’s ionized forms, including zwitterionic forms, will result. These forms are called glutamates. Salts exist only in a dry and crystallized form. The form ultimately responsible for the taste is the glutamate ion and the form of glutamic acid at the time of the addition is not important. However, crystalline glutamic acid salts such as monosodium glutamate dissolve much better and faster than crystalline glutamic acid, a property important for use as a flavor enhancer. Glutamic acid, one of the amino acids upon which every single protein is built in the human body, is chemically indistinguishable from the acid salt, MSG. Once you ingest MSG, it dissociates into sodium and the glutamate, which will be absorbed and utilized by the body. Glutamic acid does not suddenly change properties when in salt form. Once it’s consumed, the glutamate separates from the sodium, and binds with hydrogen to become an acid again. The sodium is either utilized by the body or excreted through the kidneys. It’s a simple physiological process, no mystery at all. The body produces glutamate (or glutamic acid more properly) during various cellular processes, including the citric acid cycle, or Kreb’s cycle, which is a complex metabolic system fundamental to how the cell builds proteins and provides energy. Glutamate is also a key compound in eliminating and controlling the waste nitrogen in the body (which is created by cells in the form of urea). It is also a neurotransmitter, used by nerve cells to transmit certain types of information, and is a critical substance in cognitive functions in memory and learning. In other words, glutamate is very important to your life. Without it, you will probably die. Or at least not be able to think.Which can also be one of the reason for folks encouraging other people into skipping MSG since it is bad for health. So if you eat a lot of glutamate in your food, and your body synthesizes glutamate in substantial quantities, what is bad about MSG. Well, there’s a couple of issues that might happen. MSG does have a sodium, but it’s actually less by weight than an equivalent amount of table salt. Interestingly, in a 1984 Journal of Food Science article, MSG may actually be useful in reducing sodium consumption while not compromising taste (salt is critical to taste of many savory foods). But is there any evidence that MSG is dangerous to humans? In a word, NO.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 09:32:12 +0000
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