Monosodium glutamate ( MSG ) has historically been connected to a condition coined “ Chinese Restaurant Syndrome . ” Its symptom include vexation , nausea , numbness , and palpitations , plus a want of any concrete scientific grounds to suggest that they are triggered by MSG consumption .

The extraction of thedated termtrace back toa alphabetic character published by the New England Journal of Medicine(NEJM ) that , once out in the big wide humans , gripped the resourcefulness of the military press and public . It was n’t long before wellness authorities in the US were come out warn about MSG consumption with a peculiar focus on Chinese food manufacturers , and “ No MSG ” stamp on menus and labels became all the rage .

Whether you ’re eating a tomato or food with added MSG seasoning , the human body processes glutamate in the same accurate way .

All scientific evidence points to MSG being suitable for consumption and theUS Food & Drug Administration“considers the addition of MSG to foods to be ‘ by and large acknowledge as dependable , ’ ” adding , “ Although many people name themselves as sore to MSG , in studies with such somebody given MSG or a placebo , scientist have not been able-bodied to systematically trigger reaction . ”

That has n’t prevented the injury of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome from perpetuating racial stereotype and misinformation about MSG , and in December 2023 theNEJM pledged to reviewand correct the part it has played in perpetuate historical racial injustice . However , that review notably did n’t include the term Chinese Restaurant Syndrome .

Now , a alliance of nutritionists , public health experts , and chef have joined forces with The Ajinomoto Group to publish an receptive letter to NEJM , asking that it slump the omission and acknowledge its role in perpetuating a culturally insensitive and racially colored stereotype . It marks the third attempt to inspire NEJM to address the term ’s problematic legacy and drive meaningful alteration .

“ We would prize NEJM acknowledging their function in coining the condition “ Chinese Restaurant Syndrome ” as part of their current initiative to turn to past shabbiness , ” saidTia M. Rains , Ph.D. , VP of Science , Innovation & Corporate Affairs at Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America , Inc.to IFLScience . “ revisit this terminal figure would help oneself put an last to decades of MSG misinformation and the anti - Asian xenophobia it fuel – all toward the ultimate goal of building a more informed and inclusive intellectual nourishment refinement . ”

perverse to democratic belief , MSG has two - third less sodium than mesa salt , says Rains , so it can actually be used as a sodium reduction dick incooking . By replace some salt with MSG , the full sodium in a dish can drop by as much as 61 percent .

“ Additionally , the glutamate in MSG is chemically identical from glutamate that is inherently present in nutrient , ” excuse Rains . “ Whether you ’re eat a tomato plant or foods with impart MSG seasoning , the human body processes glutamate in the same accurate way . ”

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