You may not know what MSG is, but you must have definitely consumed it. Nonetheless, it is believed that it is one such ingredient in your food which is best when avoided.
So, What Is MSG?The abbreviation MSG stands for Monosodium Glutamate. It is simply a non-essential amino acid. When we say non-essential, it means that body can easily produce this compound on its own. So it need not be consumed through any diet.
It is basically used as a taste enhancer in different varieties of foods. Most often it is found in Chinese foods, processed ready to eat meals, canned vegetables and soups and processed meat.
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But Why Is MSG Bad For You?
It is still debatable to comprehend whether MSG is harmful for your body or not. But lot of cases have been found to prove having adverse effects of consuming MSG. Eating MSG can of course cause short term troubles, but in the long run it can have quite complicated and threatening problems to your body.
In the short run after consuming MSG, many people complain of
• Headaches
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Heart palpitations
• Chest pain
However, this all might be temporary, but in the long run you may face the following problems
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1. Obesity:
The occurrence of obesity by consuming MSG has been tested successfully in rats. However, Glutamate plays an important role in our body for regulating the lipid profile. When our body has excess of glutamate it becomes insensitive to fat accumulation and in the long run it leads to obesity.
2. Neurological disorders:
Malfunctioning of glutamate receptors has been found to be one of the reasons of developing disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases. It is seen that when there is excess of glutamate there are enzymatic reactions which occur in the nervous system. This causes death of cells and leaves big holes in the central nervous system causing the problem. Bouts of epilepsy are also caused because of MSG
3. Causes Food Addiction And Cravings:
It is often seen that people become addictive of junk food or processed food and the cause of that is also the ingredient MSG. The culprit glutamate is responsible for the taste called as Umami. This taste is quite savoury and favourable for our taste buds. Thus when you eat such food you are likely to get addicted to its taste and always want more. Also, now you will realize that even after you eat some processed foods, you still feel an urge to eat more.
How To Get Rid Of The MSG Syndrome
The best way to stay away from MSG syndrome is to stop eating those foods which use the MSG as its ingredient.
Here are a few ways to always remain cautious
• Always read the label of food products. If it contains MSG then understand that it is not good to consume.
• Beware when some companies advertise their products as No MSG Inside.
• Many companies use MSG but change their name in the label section. So when you come across certain names like Glutamic acid, Gelatin, Monopotassium glutamate, Yeast extract, textured protein, etc. then they are the versions of MSG only. So be cautious.
This is how MSG can harm you and becomes an enemy for your body.
We hope this information helps you in finding the right products to consume.
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