Brief Chemistry of Msg
Scientific research today is crystal-clear: MSG is safe. Let me explain why.
MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. When it dissolves in water, it separates into sodium and glutamate ions. Sodium itself is an essential mineral for life and is not inherently harmful; in fact, table salt contains three times more sodium than MSG. Meanwhile, glutamate is naturally present in many foods, including konbu, meat, fish, eggs, kelp, tomatoes, cheese, and mushrooms. Importantly, your body processes glutamate from MSG in the same way it metabolizes glutamate from these foods, as the glutamate in MSG is chemically identical to that found in nature. Given this, consuming MSG is no different from consuming foods that contain glutamate. If MSG were inherently harmful, then all glutamate-containing foods would have to be considered harmful as well—a claim that is not supported by science.