Hi, you're about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from Curiosity.com.

I'm Cody Goff. And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today you learn about a weird way to cut back on sodium, a mathematical measure of when people give up on books, and why giving

too much advice might mean that you crave power.

Let's satisfy some curiosity.

For some people, just hearing MSG is enough to trigger memories of headaches and upset stomachs.

But it turns out that not only is MSG not to blame for your post-Chinese food blues,

but a new study also declares that it's actually

better for you than the alternative. That is, it's healthier than regular old table

salt, and it could help us all cut down on our sodium intake.

MSG stands for monosodium glutamate.

It's a molecule that combines sodium with the amino acid glutamate

and lends a savory or umami flavor to food.

It's also been maligned as the cause of so-called

Chinese restaurant syndrome, a cluster of symptoms ranging

from numbness to heart palpitations.

But it turns out that the Chinese food was framed.

Later studies found that these symptoms happened at roughly the same rate,

regardless of whether someone was consuming food laced with MSG or a placebo.

That makes sense because glutamate occurs naturally in all sorts of food you don't associate with

illness.

Parmesan cheese, cured ham, dried tomatoes, walnuts, the list goes on.

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