One of the most common nutritional supplements is monosodium glutamate. It is actively used as a flavor enhancer and is part of many seasonings and products. Can this substance harm the body?
From the history of supplements.
The history of monosodium glutamate began back in 1908. It was then that in the Japanese laboratory, which was led by Kikunai Ikeda, this food supplement was obtained . Dried seaweed, which in the Land of the Rising Sun was used as a seasoning, pushed the Japanese scientist to this discovery. The food to which they were added became much tastier and more palatable. It turned out that the reason for everything contained in the algae glutamic acid. Ikeda was able to obtain the salt of this substance, which we now know as an enhancer of taste, monosodium glutamate. Thus began the triumphal procession of this food supplement around the world.
The use of monosodium glutamate has allowed food companies to save enormously on consumers. After all, an insignificant amount of this additive enhanced the taste of meat or vegetables many times over. Therefore, monosodium glutamate has become actively used as a seasoning. But in the 70s of the last century, clouds began to gather over it.
In the West, they drew attention to the so-called "Chinese restaurant syndrome", when lovers of oriental dishes after eating began to feel heat, sweat and suffocate. After conducting research, scientists found that the cause is sodium glutamate, which is often used in oriental cuisine as a seasoning. It is he who can cause such unpleasant effects. A lot of noise was also made by the results of studies by the American neurophysiologist John Olney, (carried out in 1957, but forgotten) who, testing the effect of this supplement on rats, found that the substance can cause brain damage. After that, a scandal erupted around sodium glutamate - a food supplement was suspected in almost all diseases.
But, having studied the effect of the additive more carefully, the scientists removed most of the charges. In general, monosodium glutamate was recognized as safe for the body, but the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" was nevertheless confirmed. Therefore, now it is used in the food industry on legal grounds, but it is recommended not to get carried away with products that contain this supplement.
Harm from enhanced taste
Designation E621 can be found today on various products: seasonings, meat and sausages, various fast food dishes. There are severe restrictions on the use of products with this supplement. Adults can consume no more than 1.5 g of sodium glutamate per day without consequences, adolescents up to 0.5 g, and children under 3 years of age cannot eat foods with E621. Alas, it is not so simple to do this - there are many similar products on the shelves of modern stores.
What, besides the consequences of an overdose, is sodium glutamate dangerous for our body? The harm to the body is caused precisely by its ability to enhance taste. Accustomed to eating with such additives, a person ceases to normally perceive natural food - it seems fresh and tasteless. As a result, addiction is developed to foods with enhanced taste, and a person begins to consume more of it.
What can be advised in this case? Try to eat less food with E621, cook more from natural products that can be purchased on the market. You should also be more careful about the seasonings in which this substance is contained. Try to use pure products without any additives as much as possible. Limit the use of convenience foods. Yes, it takes less time and money - just warm the food in the microwave and you're done. But health is more expensive. But no one has yet canceled borsch, cereals, salads and just fresh greens and vegetables.