It's crazy when you think about all the different kinds of foods we eat.

We just swallow and hope it all works out for the best.

Well, as it turns out, there are better ways to think about keeping our bodies

humming healthfully along.

Welcome to the Nutrition Facts podcast.

I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

Today we look at the health effects of food additives.

And on our first story, Nutrition Facts Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Christine Dennis, asks,

do the reactions ascribe to monosodium glutamate, MSG represent a menace, myth, or marvel?

Reducing sodium intake by 30% could save the lives of more than 40 million people.

And guess what can reduce sodium intake by more than 30% in standard recipes?

Substituting traditional salt with monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG.

But what about Chinese restaurant syndrome, reported in a 1968 letter to the New England

Journal of Medicine, characterized by numbness on the back of the neck, general weakness, and palpitation?

One of the proposed causes was MSG, a common seasoning often used in Chinese cooking.

Since then, MSG has been blamed for causing numerous adverse reactions, including asthma, headache, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

But is this so-called monosodium glutamate allergy, a menace or a myth? You don't know until you put it to

the test, or in this case, many tests in a multi-center double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple

challenge trial of MSG, 130 self-reported MSG-reactive volunteers first consumed beverages containing 5 grams of MSG or a placebo.

And those who reported two or more of 10 different symptoms, such as flushing or headache,

were then re-challenged in a dose response study. Of the 19 people who consistently responded to 5 grams of MSG mixed in a drink, once MSG was in a dose response study. Of the 19 people who consistently responded

to 5 grams of MSG mixed in a drink,

...