Eat more MSG for your health

In March the World Health Organization issued the following statement: Miserable caveat It was also perfectly clear. Almost everyone on the planet eats too much salt. It’s not just about oversprinkling. On average, people are consuming more than twice his recommended amount each day, increasing their risk of common ailments such as heart attack and stroke. The WHO argued that if governments intervened against such illegal salt intake, they could save lives. 7 million by 2030.

Such warnings about salt are so prevalent that they are easy to ignore. Salt intake has long been a public health problem in the United States. Half a century; since then, IEfforts launched to combat the epidemic have been deemed by health officials as “too many to explain”, but little has changed in terms of policies and ambitions. The main reason salt is still an issue is because it is a major part of all processed foods, and salt makes everything taste better. Convincing Americans to consume less will require a convincing deception that cuts down on unhealthy salt without sacrificing the taste of food.

The perfect duck doesn’t exist. But the next best thing might be… MSG. seriously.Last month, the FDA was suggested Use salt substitutes to reduce sodium in certain foods. One of his research-backed candidates was monosodium glutamate, this white crystalline powder has long been vilified in the West as an unhealthy food additive. A common condiment in some Asian dishes, MSG was associated with ailments such as headaches, numbness, dizziness and heart palpitations in the late 1960s, becoming known as Chinese restaurant syndrome. Health concerns about MSG have since been proven false, and the FDA considers his MSG safe to eat. However, it still has a bad reputation. Many products still proudly advertise that they are MSG-free. Well, this chemical might soon get its revenge. Given the chances of salt being replaced in some of our foods, salt may eventually come to represent something healthy, or something close to it. health.

Concerns about MSG began in 1968 when a Chinese-American doctor wrote: New England Journal of Medicinesaid she felt generally unwell after eating Chinese food and suggested that MSG might be to blame. Other researchers quickly published studies that seemed to back up this claim, making MSG a public health villain. In the 70’s, chicago tribune posted a headline “Does Chinese food make you crazy? MSG is the prime suspect.” [for] Many long held assumptions about the strangely ‘exotic’, ‘weird’ and ‘excessive’ practices associated with Chinese culture,” says historian Ian Mosby I have written in 2009. NEJM the letter was later clearly I’m not saying that all MSG-related symptoms are wrong. Amanda Lee, a dietary nutritionist at the University of Washington, said people can become sensitive to MSG and experience a wide range of symptoms, including headaches, after consuming it. However, “studies have shown no clear evidence linking MSG consumption to serious potential side effects,” she said.

Overall, MSG appears to be better than salt itself, given that excessive salt intake poses so many chronic health risks. Using a relatively small amount of his MSG can bring back the flavor of low-salt products without compromising health. Part of the reason this is possible is due to the molecular composition of MSG. Because it contains sodium (because it has sodium in its name), it does meet some of your salt needs, but it’s just salt. The third Amount by weight as salt. The rest of the molecule is made up of the amino acid L-glutamic acid, giving it a savory “broth-like” flavor known as umami.

MSG is not a one-to-one replacement for salt, but that is why it is a very promising replacement.it’s a common taste enhancerThis means it can not only add an umami component, but also amplify the perception of salt and other flavors already in the dish, says a sensory scientist and director of the Washington State University School of Food Sciences. Sooyoung Lee told me. . One of the secrets to this effect is that, unlike salt, which imparts a burst of flavor and then quickly disappears, MSG stays on the tongue long after food is swallowed, creating a lasting flavor, says Lee. said Mr. Aubrey Dantemann, a food scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said saltiness could be amplified by increasing salivary flow and allowing sodium molecules to wash more freely over the tongue.

All of this gives MSG the potential to participate in a salt reduction strategy.a 2019 survey in a diary nutrients Researchers have found that replacing some of the salt in certain foods with MSG (or other similar but less obscure chemicals) can have a big impact. Adults who eat cured meats may reduce their intake by 40 percent. Cheese eaters, 45%.Another study by Japanese researchers i found that Incorporating MSG and other umami substances into common Japanese seasonings such as soy sauce, seasoned salt and miso could reduce salt intake by up to 22.3 percent. Scientists in Malaysia found that they could do the same with curry chicken and chilli chicken soups and reduce the amount in the recipe. 32.5 percent reduction in salt content.

Take these discoveries in chunks of MSG. Recent studies have uniformly found MSG to be a safe and promising salt substitute, nutrients This study and the Japanese study were funded at least in part by Ajinomoto Co., which introduced the first commercial form of the substance, or by an industry group, the International Glutamate Technical Committee. Lee and Dantemann are also partially funded by Ajinomoto for their MSG research. study This indicates that this substance may improve the flavor of low-sodium bread. Lee said the aim is to show that if a food company wants to adopt it and try it in their system because the MSG replacement for salt is “feasible,” they have a rationale for doing so. said. Her goal is to “not sell any bread with MSG,” she added. (This paper, along with two of her other industry-funded papers, has been independently peer-reviewed.)

While more independent research is clearly needed, food companies have many incentives to help find better alternatives to salt. More than 70% of Americans’ salt intake comes from processed foods, and if the FDA decides to crack down on salt intake, its policy will be primarily aimed at the food industry, Lee said. . Already, some canned soup and fish makers are experimenting with salt substitutes.

Incorporating MSG into a drastic salt-reduction campaign is not easy. Dantemann pointed out that MSG is more expensive than salt. More importantly, salt provides more than flavor in many foods. It also works as a preservative and adjust texture For example, by adding juiciness to red meat or stabilizing leavened dough.their study Lee and Danteman found that removal of too much salt decreased the chewiness and firmness of bread, even when the taste was supplemented with MSG. Among common processed foods, bread is the main subject of his future MSG research. The Biggest Contributor to Sodium Intake in the United StatesNot just because of the salt content, but also because Americans consume so much salt. Substituting MSG for salt to enhance flavor “allows food to taste just as good without affecting high blood pressure,” says Katherine M. says Burt. write in Told me MSG was not funded by the industry. It’s “a great way to make food exciting and healthy.”

MSG can also be used at home to deliberately reduce salt intake. Adding a new ingredient to your home pantry can be daunting, but MSG is already present in most kitchens and is found naturally in umami-rich foods like Parmesan cheese and mushrooms. Consider that it is also added to processed foods such as: campbell’s soup and Doritos. These days, it’s sold in shakers and packs just like salt, and it’s easy to find online and in stores. Lee recommends that anyone interested in MSG start seasoning their food with a 50/50 mixture of MSG and table salt. When eating processed foods, choose reduced-salt versions of products (not “reduced-salt” products, which may actually be lower in sodium). It will probably taste awful, so add MSG little by little until it tastes good, Lee said.

While there is still much to learn about MSG as a salt substitute, the biggest challenge to its adoption is cultural, not scientific.To some extent, tastes are changing: celebrity chefs such as David Chang defend itand one Top restaurants in New York Now serving MSG Martini.However, the perception that MSG is bad for health still going onDespite evidence to the contrary. words like “”Sneaky“”Disguised,” and “dirty” is still used to describe it, and grocery stores such as Whole Foods and trader joes Make sure to mention that their food is MSG free. Nevertheless, as long as old misconceptions about MSG persist, they will continue to hinder the potential for better salt replacements. America’s dislike of MSG may be aimed at improving health, but at this point it may be doing just the opposite.