4 ms·

Is MSG not bad for you in the way aspartame is not bad for you? I totally get that MSG is naturally present in dashi but the chemistry of dashi (a very messy an

by djtango 10mo ago

Is MSG not bad for you in the way aspartame is not bad for you? I totally get that MSG is naturally present in dashi but the chemistry of dashi (a very messy and complex mix of substances) vs purified msg is going to be different, and the concentrations the japanese consume food containing dashi are very different to the way UPFs and chinese restaurants gratuitously smother your food in it. MSG is to many cuisines what butter is to western cuisine (ie moar is always bettah)

sallveburrpi 10mo ago
MSG is only bad for you because it makes things taste amazing so you are going to eat more than you actually should. Nothing wrong with butter btw. As with most food stuffs if not consumed in moderation it can become a problem.
padjo 10mo ago
There’s no evidence linking MSG specifically with any chronic health issues and little reason to suspect there would be in healthy people at the quantities generally consumed. Funnily enough many people who are wary of MSG and try to avoid it would be better off looking at their sodium intake, which we know for sure has long term health risks.
- jtbayly 10mo ago
  salt is bad again?
  - shlant 10mo ago
    salt was always advised to be limited, especially for those with high blood pressure. This hasn't changed, there are just vocal diet ideologues (mostly carnivore/keto) that are trying to post-hoc rationalize otherwise.
    - amanaplanacanal 10mo ago
      From what I understand it's only really a problem for a specific set of high blood pressure folks. Something genetic I think. I'm on blood pressure medication, and haven't received any advice about sodium intake.
    - loeg 10mo ago
      Only ~50% of the population is hypertensive, and only about half of them are sodium sensitive.
      - jtbayly 10mo ago
        And half of the half that are sensitive, it lowers blood pressure.
      - padjo 10mo ago
        Everybody is sodium sensitive, it’s a basic fact that your body retains additional fluids if you increase your sodium intake, just talk to some bodybuilders. Chronic long term exposure to a high sodium diet is a risk factor for all sorts of issues because of this basic fact of biology. Way more so than MSG or even artificial sweeteners. But people focus on the wrong thing.
        loeg 10mo ago
        My understanding is that most people's blood pressure does not increase in response to dietary sodium, which is the sensitivity described in this context.
  - loeg 10mo ago
    Salt's bad if you have sodium-responsive hypertension (maybe 30% of the population).
- djtango 10mo ago
  Well it seems pretty accepted that refined sugar is worse for you than consuming sugars locked up in fibrous fruits. From a similar intuition glutamates locked up in natural sources probably has a different bioavailability profile to refined MSG, incidental sodium intake notwithstanding. In any case, everyone is different and catchall health advice lacks nuance. I have to very consciously consume more and more salt because I habitually cut it out to the point that I now suffer from hyponatremia especially as I exercise and sweat bucket loads.
- Noaidi 10mo ago
  I am someone who is sensitive to MSG and the new substitutes they put in food to replace it. It is not "dangerous", and I think that is the problem with the messaging, but it does increase my anxiety, insomnia and fibromyalgia symptoms. And I also thing for most people it is fine, but it certainly does not work with my family's genetics. My mother had the same issue. Many things in food now replace MSG. Any time you see a protein isolate, what they are isolating is the glutamate. Malted Barley Flour also contains high levels of glutamate and purines (like inosine) that work synergisticly with it to enhance flavor. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, and it makes your taste buds more "excited". My mouth tastes like metal whenever I have foods with glutamate. It is not pleasant for me at all. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9883458/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9883458/ https://www.eurofins.com/media-centre/newsletters/food-newsletter-nr44-march-2014/flavour-enhancers-in-food-products/ https://www.eurofins.com/media-centre/newsletters/food-newsl...
throwup238 10mo ago
MSG is very safe in normal quantities with a similar safety profile to salt. You can drink MSG water to kill yourself but it’d be like drinking a gallon of seawater. It’s monosodium glutamate. Monosodium as in NaCl (table salt) and glutamate as in the amino acid and neurotransmitter. Once they disassociate in water, they’re both some of the most basic molecules used by all life, including for protein production.

by djtango 10mo ago

sallveburrpi 10mo ago

MSG is only bad for you because it makes things taste amazing so you are going to eat more than you actually should. Nothing wrong with butter btw. As with most food stuffs if not consumed in moderation it can become a problem.

padjo 10mo ago

There’s no evidence linking MSG specifically with any chronic health issues and little reason to suspect there would be in healthy people at the quantities generally consumed. Funnily enough many people who are wary of MSG and try to avoid it would be better off looking at their sodium intake, which we know for sure has long term health risks.

jtbayly 10mo ago
salt is bad again?
- shlant 10mo ago
  salt was always advised to be limited, especially for those with high blood pressure. This hasn't changed, there are just vocal diet ideologues (mostly carnivore/keto) that are trying to post-hoc rationalize otherwise.
  - amanaplanacanal 10mo ago
    From what I understand it's only really a problem for a specific set of high blood pressure folks. Something genetic I think. I'm on blood pressure medication, and haven't received any advice about sodium intake.
  - loeg 10mo ago
    Only ~50% of the population is hypertensive, and only about half of them are sodium sensitive.
    - jtbayly 10mo ago
      And half of the half that are sensitive, it lowers blood pressure.
    - padjo 10mo ago
      Everybody is sodium sensitive, it’s a basic fact that your body retains additional fluids if you increase your sodium intake, just talk to some bodybuilders. Chronic long term exposure to a high sodium diet is a risk factor for all sorts of issues because of this basic fact of biology. Way more so than MSG or even artificial sweeteners. But people focus on the wrong thing.
      - loeg 10mo ago
        My understanding is that most people's blood pressure does not increase in response to dietary sodium, which is the sensitivity described in this context.
- loeg 10mo ago
  Salt's bad if you have sodium-responsive hypertension (maybe 30% of the population).
djtango 10mo ago
Well it seems pretty accepted that refined sugar is worse for you than consuming sugars locked up in fibrous fruits. From a similar intuition glutamates locked up in natural sources probably has a different bioavailability profile to refined MSG, incidental sodium intake notwithstanding. In any case, everyone is different and catchall health advice lacks nuance. I have to very consciously consume more and more salt because I habitually cut it out to the point that I now suffer from hyponatremia especially as I exercise and sweat bucket loads.
Noaidi 10mo ago
I am someone who is sensitive to MSG and the new substitutes they put in food to replace it. It is not "dangerous", and I think that is the problem with the messaging, but it does increase my anxiety, insomnia and fibromyalgia symptoms. And I also thing for most people it is fine, but it certainly does not work with my family's genetics. My mother had the same issue. Many things in food now replace MSG. Any time you see a protein isolate, what they are isolating is the glutamate. Malted Barley Flour also contains high levels of glutamate and purines (like inosine) that work synergisticly with it to enhance flavor. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, and it makes your taste buds more "excited". My mouth tastes like metal whenever I have foods with glutamate. It is not pleasant for me at all. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9883458/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9883458/ https://www.eurofins.com/media-centre/newsletters/food-newsletter-nr44-march-2014/flavour-enhancers-in-food-products/ https://www.eurofins.com/media-centre/newsletters/food-newsl...

throwup238 10mo ago

MSG is very safe in normal quantities with a similar safety profile to salt. You can drink MSG water to kill yourself but it’d be like drinking a gallon of seawater. It’s monosodium glutamate. Monosodium as in NaCl (table salt) and glutamate as in the amino acid and neurotransmitter. Once they disassociate in water, they’re both some of the most basic molecules used by all life, including for protein production.