Monosodium Glutamate

I figured that i might as well not let my speech assignment go to waste. Here's some info on......

MSG: The Secret Ingredient

Introduction: Today at break, you'll probably walk outside the classroom, and get some fresh air, and maybe even hit the snack machines downstairs. Speech class can get you pretty thirsty. But are you fully aware of what a simple bag of chips and soda pop can do to you? The slogan for Lays Potato Chips is "Bet you can't eat just one". Have you ever wondered why? Is it because you're really hungry? Or is it because they are super tasty? Or could it be that there is some secret ingredient in many of your favorite snack foods that fools your brain into thinking that "you can't eat just one"? I suspect that you may know what I'm alluding to, but I bet you weren't aware of just how many foods this secret ingredient is added to and just how it affects your short and long term health.
I. According to the FDA Backgrounder, a website produced by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 1995, "MSG can be found not only in canned soup and flavored crackers and chips, but also can be found in frozen treats such as ice cream, yogurt, soda pop and other snack foods.
A. MSG became publicly known to most Americans through the media and heresay in connection to Chinese food. It is said to be added as a flavor enhancer to many dishes containing high amounts of soy sauce.
1. Glutamate, the natural chemical found in the many foods, was actually discovered by the Japanese when they noticed that seaweed broth significantly enhanced the flavor of certain foods.
2. This occurs because seaweed and soy have high contents of glutamate. In the early 1900s, MSG was produced in this way, however in recent times, it is made from corn, starch, sugar or molasses. It is produced by a natural fermentation process similar to the process of making beer, vinegar or yogurt. Bacteria synthesize glutamic acide outside of their cell membranes. This was the method that brought it to such a large scale of production, and inclusion into our daily diets.
3. Other natural foods that contain Glutamate are tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, soybeans, and meat. The common relation between these foods are the fact that they produce a similar amino acid, which are the building blocks of proteins.
B. The body contains glutamate receptors which are stimulated when these foods are consumed. When the receptors become stimulated, your brain is flooded with other neurologically yummy chemicals that trick it into thinking that the food is tasty on your tongue, thus tricking you, the eater, into thinking the food tastes savory.
1. Monosodium Glutamate, or MSG is a synthetic chemical which is slightly tweaked from its natural form of glutamate. The body cannot distinguish between the glutamate naturally present in certain foods from the monosodium glutamate made synthetically and added to foods as an enhancer.
2. MSG is sold as a fine white crystally substance, which looks very similar to salt or sugar. It does not have a distinct flavor of its own.
3. According to some researcher's beliefs, MSG imparts a fifth taste independent of the four tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter. This taste is described as savory. The Japanese have named it umami.
II Monosodium Glutamate is said by certain scientists to have negative effects on your health.
A. However, this issue is ongoing, and according to the IFIC.org health publication on Everything You Need to know about MSG, Monosodium Glutamate is safe. They argue that because MSG is one of the most extensively researched substances in the food supply worldwide, and no serious side effects have been discovered among large portions of the population, then it is safe.
1. According to the same article, infants metabolize glutamate at the same rate as adults, which alludes tot he fact that it is not any more harmful for small children.
2. MSG contains less sodium than table salt. 13% to 40%
B. According to the FDA Backgrounder, the FASEB report released the following health effects coming from a collaboration of multiple studies and scientific literature.
1. An unknown percentage of the population may react to MSG in the following ways: burning sensation in neck, tingling and weakness in the face, chest pain, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea.
2. A large percentage of otherwise healthy individuals would develop mild cases of these symptoms after consuming a mere 3 grams of MSG.
3. People presupposed to asthmatic conditions have a higher and more dangerous weakness to the effects caused by MSG.
III. Since there are studies suggesting that a very common food additive can have negative effects on the body, it is important to know the laws on labeling packaged foods.
A. Under the current FDA regulations, MSG must be identified to the consumer as "monosodium glutamate" in the label's ingredient list. It also must be placed in order of the percentage it takes up in the list of total ingredients.
1. Labels that claim "NO MSG" don't necessary have to include the naturally occuring glutamates present in ingredients such as tomatoes or mushrooms. This could cause some serious sickness in those individuals highly sensitive to MSG.
2. There are some other names that MSG goes by, along with thier sister chemicals which are chemically similar and produce similar effects: hydrolyzed soy protein,
B. Some studies suggest that the overstimulation of the glutamate receptors for a prolonged lifetime can cause nervous disorders such as fibromyalgia or heart arrhythmia, epilepsy, Parkinsons and Huntington's disease. These diseases are all neurological diseases that affect your axial dendrital functions. (Show Picture)
IV. Use of MSG in food has increased exponentially in the last 30 years due to the explosion of pre-packaged snack foods.
A. MSG is found in most soups, salad dressings, processed meats, frozen entrees, bread, low and no fat foods as flavor enhancers to make up for the flavor lost when the fat is reduced.
B. It has been found in cosmetics, pharmecuticals, and dietary supplements such as certain vitamins.
As you can see, monosodium glutamate has not only snuck into our mealtimes, but it has also been incorporated into our health and beauty supplies. As a preserving agent, we have managed to surround our bodies, both inside and out, with chemicals meant to keep us preserved. Though there are strong cases for both sides suggesting the effects of Monosodium Glutamate on our health, it seems much safer to avoid a potentially harmful chemical. Individuals have the right to know the hidden ingredients lurking in their environment, and should be aware of the possible long and short term side effects that any chemical may have on their body. So when you make your way to the snack machine, give a little looksy to list of ingredients on the back of your snack food, it might surprise you to see how much of this chemical you've been consuming without even knowing it.