The only problem is no one seems to know exactly why.

These days, us consumers want to know more

about the food we eat, but despite the

spirit of investigation, some food myths

remain completely untouched, and the toxic,

poisonous, cancerous, energy-sucking,

headache – inducing, reputation of MSG, is

one of the biggest lingering food myths of all.

MSG, or monosodium glutamate is a flavor

enhancer that is responsible for cranking up

the sensational umami flavors on our tongue.

Umami can be described as a savory flavor

and was named after the Japanese word “Umai”

which means delicious.

The effects of MSG were first discovered

in 1908 by chemist Kikunae Ikeda,

who began studying seaweed, which

had been used for centuries by chefs

to improve the flavor food.

As it turned out the flavor enhancement was

coming from an amino acid called L-glutamate.

Glutamate is found in tons of common

foods that are rich in protein. Meats,

dairy products and vegetables all have glutamate.

In fact, our very own bodies produce glutamate

through the krebs cycle when metabolizing food.

So in other words, glutamate is very

abundant and a very common part of our diet.

Funny thing is MSG is a sodium salt form of glutamatic acid.

So basically the mono sodium part just

means it's easy to sprinkle on your dish.

Okay so here's the question,

if your body makes this compound and

it's so common, then how come everyone

thinks this stuff is bad for you?

It all started in a letter to The New

England Journal of Medicine in 1968,

written by a scientist to describe

the unpleasant after effects

he felt after eating Chinese food.

He dubbed his symptoms Chinese restaurant

syndrome which he broadly described as

a numbness in the back of the neck gradually

radiating to both arms in the back

and general weakness in palpitation.

This is of course after stuffing

his face the Chinese food.

The journal suggested that MSG

was the culprit based on research

in the decades that followed.

The scientific consensus seems to be that

MSG can temporarily affected select few

when consumed in huge quantities on

an empty stomach but it's perfectly safe

for the vast majority people.

And still, MSG’s bad reputation persist today.

What's really kind remarkable is that

you'll see signs and labels on foods at

Chinese restaurants that say no MSG added,

to which most people think,

“great, is safe for you, let's chow down.”

Little do they realize that when they dowse

their MSG free food with soy sauce, they’re

actually intensely loading it up with glutamate.

You honestly can't get away from

this stuff, but really not a problem.

L-glutamate acid is really one of 20 amino

acids that make up natural proteins and as

such the World Health Organization and FDA

have Christened it completely safe to

ingest as with all things in moderation.

Okay so there's one fundamental lesson in

this food myth that everyone should take away.

If someone tells you that something is bad

for you and you can’t get a definitive answer

as to why, it's your job to dig in

and find out for yourself.

This is what science is all about,

not accepting something is truth

without proper evidence.

Make sure to check down video description

for a link to an infographic about MSG

by our pals over Compound Interest, and

don't forget to spread the word and subscribe.