MSG- Accent

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I know msg is in the doghouse, but I can't remember why. I'm tempted to start using it again because I did think it brought out the flavor of some food. Does anyone know why it is now taboo. I know some people are allergic to it, but if you're not, why not use it?
 
Decades ago there was a scare and over reaction to MSG in Chinese Restaurants. The scare was later discredited but the damage was done and the retraction never gets the press the original statement got.

Most of Asia uses it with no ill effects. A small percentage of people are allergic to it. If it doesn't bother you go ahead and use it.
 
MSG got a bad rap because of a media scare. Unless you are part of the very small number of people who are actually allergic to it there is no reason to be scared of MSG. Many people claim to have issues with it, but in most of those cases it is the power of the mind making them think they have issues. The mind is very powerful and can make you sick if you think you are going to get sick.

I use Accent in my cooking. Like anything else, it should be used appropriately. That means I do not use it in everything I cook and I don't go overboard with it. When something needs that extra little punch though then I do not hesitate to use it.
 
MSG-Aspartame

Most people are not allergic to MSG, although some have a violent reaction, but if you Google "MSG" you can do the research for yourself and make your own decision. There are safer ways to make your food taste better, like fresh spices instead of the dehydrated sawdust they sell at the local grocery chain for obscene amounts of money. MSG would not be my first choice for a flavor "enhancer".
 
John W. Olney, M.D., a neuroscientist at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri who, in 1968, had been appointed to the National Academy of Science, noted that mice being fed MSG for a study of retinal deterioration had become grotesquely obese. Believing that the obesity was related to the function of the hypothalamus in the brain, he sacrificed MSG-fed mice and found that MSG caused hypothalamus lesions and neuroendocrine disorders, and that the very young were at particular risk. Neuroscientists now generally agree that glutamic acid (MSG) is neurotoxic, killing brain neurons by exciting them to death.
 
From my understanding, Accent and MSG are not synonymous.

Yes, they are. Accent[SIZE=-1] - A seasoning also called MSG (Monosodium Glutamate). It is an optional seasoning and can very easily be left out of recipes. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=+1]Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity and is a neurotoxin, it is an addictive substance! Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday.The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They claim it's safe to eat in any amount. How can they claim it safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these? :-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]'The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in obesity'. GobattoCA, Mello MA, Souza CT, Ribeiro IA.Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]

'Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats'. Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: an animal model of multiple risk factors'. Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, IchikawaK, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]'Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity'. Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao K, Kusunoki Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Yes, that last study is not a typo, it WAS written in 1978. The medical research community, USDA and food manufacturers have known about MSG's side effects for decades![/SIZE]
 
I'm not injecting MSG into suckling babies or adding it in huge amounts to processed food.

Just adding a very small pinch in certain home preparations.

I assure you that I am not addicted to it, nor has it made me obese. Can't say the same for good wine, great cheese and potatoes and gravy, however! ;)
 
Selkie, looks like you are lost, and not only in Midwest. Maybe info doesn't get to us fast enough. But people in Asia are by far healthier than we are here. And they do use msg. So the 1978 studies might be just a bit outdated. Moderation is the key word in food consumption.
 
I'm not injecting MSG into suckling babies or adding it in huge amounts to processed food.

Just adding a very small pinch in certain home preparations.

I assure you that I am not addicted to it, nor has it made me obese. Can't say the same for good wine, great cheese and potatoes and gravy, however! ;)

You don't have to... MSG hides behind 25+ names, such as 'Natural Flavouring', It's also in your favorite coffee shops, restaurants and Drive-thrus (McDonalds, Burger King, Carl's Jr., etc. AND the worst of all, KFC.) MSG is used in 126,000+ processed foods, and the demand is increasing.

You've asked for science, I've given you science and some of you still argue it's safe. Too bad.
 


You've asked for science, I've given you science and some of you still argue it's safe. Too bad.
For every piece of science you have offered, there are many more studies that will prove the opposite of the studies you supplied.

If it is so dangerous then explain how Asian people, who are known to use MSG regularly, are among the healthiest people in the world.
 
For every piece of science you have offered, there are many more studies that will prove the opposite of the studies you supplied.

If it is so dangerous then explain how Asian people, who are known to use MSG regularly, are among the healthiest people in the world.

Actually, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services:

The rapid modernization of China and other Asian countries has produced an alarming spike in the rate of obesity and diabetes, which could undermine the region's economic and social stability, experts warned Wednesday.
Asia currently has around two-thirds of the world's diabetics, or around 90 million people with the disease, according to Paul Zimmet, the chairman of the International Obesity Task Force, and the number of diabetics in Asia is set to reach 120 million by 2010, said Zimmet, citing World Health Organization data.
By 2025, the number of Asians with diabetes could hit 198 million, he said.
Meanwhile, the rate of obesity among Asian children is increasing by about 1 percent each year, roughly the same rate as in Australia, the United States and Britain, according to the task force's Asia-Pacific director, Tim Gill.



Enough said.
 
For every piece of science you have offered, there are many more studies that will prove the opposite of the studies you supplied.

If it is so dangerous then explain how Asian people, who are known to use MSG regularly, are among the healthiest people in the world.


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gosh i was going to add another gazilion thums up but only allowed 8.
 
Actually, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services:

The rapid modernization of China and other Asian countries ...


Those are the key words. Modern foods, modern values, overeating because foods are much more available than before are the reasons Not MSG.
 
I know msg is in the doghouse, but I can't remember why. I'm tempted to start using it again because I did think it brought out the flavor of some food. Does anyone know why it is now taboo. I know some people are allergic to it, but if you're not, why not use it?

the "MSG" incident came about after a food critic felt ill after eating at a restaurant. He associated it with MSG, and published it. After that it blossomed. The fact is, MSG is a NATURAL ingredient, and can add much of what is now considered to be Umami to your dish.

MSG is a natural ingredient. If you eat meat of any type, you are getting some MSG.
In double blind taste tests they have not been able to create anything greater than slight and short lived flushing of the skin with high doses and those results were with very few people. Read the unbiased research papers and you will see the fear of MSG is unfounded.
 
A comprehensive review of all available scientific data on glutamate safety sponsored by the FDA in 1995 reaffirmed the safety of MSG when consumed at levels typically used in cooking and food manufacturing. The report found no evidence to suggest that MSG contributes to any long-term health problems, such as Alzheimer's disease. But it did acknowledge that some people may have short-term reactions to MSG.
--- from the Mayo Clinic.
 
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