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Central Research
Monosodium glutamate - flavor enhancer or disease enhancer?
Taste has always been one of the most important reasons for food consumption. Humans have receptors located on the tongue that allow us to identify tastes such as salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami. The latter is described as “meaty” or “protein” taste. Once food with this taste is ingested, the umami receptor transmits a signal to the central nervous system (CNS) that protein has been consumed and, like the sweet taste, generates a feeling of well-being in the organism.
Currently, as a consequence of lifestyle, people spend little time preparing their meals and rely mainly on processed and fast foods that often have poor nutritional value. Thus, the intake of such foods has increased notably, becoming increasingly attractive thanks to the additives used to maintain their flavor and texture and to expand their shelf life. Among these, monosodium glutamate (MSG) stands out. This additive is found in fast food and even in home-prepared foods such as creams, soups, cheeses, frozen food, among others. It produces a flavor that cannot be found in other foods. Its effect is similar to that of umami, and through binding to its receptors, it is capable of increasing the natural flavor of foods by 6 to 8 times. Therefore, it is not surprising that it favors the attraction and search for foods containing it(1).
Ingestion of MSG alters the sensation of satiety (feeling full) by decreasing the function of the hormone leptin, that is to say, appetite reduction does not occur. In the long term, the consumption of foods rich in MSG may promote energy imbalance and contribute to the development of overweight or obesity. On the other hand, the consumption of MSG increases the production of cytokines (proteins that regulate the immune system), generating a state of chronic inflammation.
This, in turn, leads to alterations in the function of pancreatic beta cells (responsible for insulin production) and, therefore, favors what is known as glucose intolerance (higher than normal elevation of blood sugar after eating). These processes contribute to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes(2;3). At the brain level, MSG has been associated with an increase in the concentration of free radicals (compounds that produce oxidation) and their negative effects such as the loss of the integrity and function of neurons, thus increasing the risk of developing memory disorders, anxiety episodes, and other neurological diseases(2).
The regular consumption of processed foods is a global public health problem. To counteract this, it is necessary to improve nutritional knowledge and empower the population regarding their food choices, as well as to promote the preferential consumption of those foods without processing and, in the case of Mexico, with the least amount of warning labels.
Authors
MSP. Miguel Amaury Salas-Garcia
Physician, Master in Public Health and PhD student in Translational Nutrition Sciences at the University of Guadalajara.
BDN. Valeria Buenrostro-Velasco
Intern of Social Service of the Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition of the UdeG.
Dr. Maria Fernanda Bernal-Orozco
Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition, Master’s Degree and PhD in Public Health Sciences. Member of the National System of Researchers level I, PRODEP Profile, Research Professor of the UdeG.
Dr. Lucrecia Susana Carrera-Quintanar
Degree in Nutrition, PhD in Biological Sciences, Member of the National System of Researchers level I, PRODEP Profile, Research Professor of the UdeG.
Dr. Barbara Vizmanos
Physician, Dr. in Medicine. Member of the National System of Researchers level III, PRODEP Profile, Research Professor of the UdeG.
References
Mukherjee, I., Biswas, S., Singh, S., Talukdar, J., Alqahtani, M. S., Abbas, M., Nag, T. C., Mridha, A. R., Gupta, S., Sharma, J. B., Kumari, S., Dhar, R., & Karmakar, S. (2023). Monosodium Glutamate Perturbs Human Trophoblast Invasion and Differentiation through a Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Pathway: An In-Vitro Assessment. Antioxidants (Basel,Switzerland), 12(3), 634.
Banerjee A, Mukherjee S, Maji BK. (2021). Worldwide flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate combined with high lipid diet provokes metabolic alterations and systemic anomalies: An overview. Vol. 8, Toxicology Reports. Elsevier Inc., p. 938–61.
Bera, Tushar & Sk, Kar & Yadav, Parmeshwar & P, Mukherjee & Yadav, Shankar & Joshi, Bishal. (2017). Effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on human health: a systematic review. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 5. 139-144.
