# MSG- Accent



## julesthegolfer

I know msg is in the doghouse, but I can't remember why.  I'm tempted to start using it again because I did think it brought out the flavor of some food.  Does anyone know why it is now taboo.  I know some people are allergic to it, but if you're not, why not use it?


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## Andy M.

Decades ago there was a scare and over reaction to MSG in Chinese Restaurants.  The scare was later discredited but the damage was done and the retraction never gets the press the original statement got.

Most of Asia uses it with no ill effects.  A small percentage of people are allergic to it.  If it doesn't bother you go ahead and use it.


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## GB

MSG got a bad rap because of a media scare. Unless you are part of the very small number of people who are actually allergic to it there is no reason to be scared of MSG. Many people claim to have issues with it, but in most of those cases it is the power of the mind making them think they have issues. The mind is very powerful and can make you sick if you think you are going to get sick.

I use Accent in my cooking. Like anything else, it should be used appropriately. That means I do not use it in everything I cook and I don't go overboard with it. When something needs that extra little punch though then I do not hesitate to use it.


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## jennyema

I agree that MSG generally gets a bad rap. I use it sparingly and truly believe that it adds a great umami punch to my foods.

But I hate Accent. I think it tastes chemically. I use a pinch of Goya's Sazon (without the achiote since that turns food yellow). You can find it in most grocery stores.


http://www.goya.com/english/products/product.html?prodSubCatID=8&prodCatID=4


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## Judge Judee

*MSG-Aspartame*

Most people are not allergic to MSG, although some have a violent reaction, but if you Google "MSG" you can do the research for yourself and make your own decision. There are safer ways to make your food taste better, like _fresh spices_ instead of the dehydrated sawdust they sell at the local grocery chain for obscene amounts of money. MSG would not be my first choice for a flavor "enhancer".


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## Wyogal

From my understanding, Accent and MSG are not synonymous.


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## Selkie

John W. Olney, M.D., a neuroscientist at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri who, in 1968, had been appointed to the National Academy of Science, noted that mice being fed MSG for a study of retinal deterioration had become grotesquely obese. Believing that the obesity was related to the function of the hypothalamus in the brain, he sacrificed MSG-fed mice and found that MSG caused hypothalamus lesions and neuroendocrine disorders, and that the very young were at particular risk. Neuroscientists now generally agree that glutamic acid (MSG) is neurotoxic, killing brain neurons by exciting them to death.


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## Selkie

Wyogal said:


> From my understanding, Accent and MSG are not synonymous.



Yes, they are. *Accent*[SIZE=-1]  			- A seasoning also called MSG (Monosodium Glutamate). It is an optional seasoning  	and can very easily be left out of recipes. [/SIZE]


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## jennyema

Selkie said:


> killing brain neurons by exciting them to death.


 
I can think of no better way to go!!


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## Selkie

[SIZE=+1]Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity and is a neurotoxin,     it is an addictive substance! Since its introduction into the American     food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses     to the pre-packaged meals, soups, snacks and fast foods we are tempted     to eat everyday.The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added     to food. They claim it's safe to eat in any amount. How can they claim      it safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like     these? :-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]'The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model     for the study of exercise in obesity'. GobattoCA, Mello MA, Souza CT, Ribeiro     IA.Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.[/SIZE]           [SIZE=+1]

'Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic     serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats'.     Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro Brain     Res Bull. 2002 Aug.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment     in spontaneously hypertensive rats: an animal model of multiple risk factors'.     Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, IchikawaK, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima     Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]'Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium     glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity'. Tanaka     K, Shimada M, Nakao K, Kusunoki Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Yes, that last study is not a typo, it WAS written in     1978. The medical research community, USDA and food manufacturers     have known about MSG's side effects for decades![/SIZE]


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## jennyema

I'm not injecting MSG into suckling babies or adding it in huge amounts to processed food.  

Just adding a very small pinch in certain home preparations.

I assure you that I am not addicted to it, nor has it made me obese.  Can't say the same for good wine, great cheese and potatoes and gravy, however!


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## CharlieD

Selkie, looks like you are lost, and not only in Midwest. Maybe info doesn't get to us fast enough. But people in Asia are by far healthier than we are here. And they do use msg. So the 1978 studies might be just a bit outdated. Moderation is the key word in food consumption.


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## GB

Wyogal said:


> From my understanding, Accent and MSG are not synonymous.


Actually they are. On my bottle of Accent under ingredients there is only one item listed, Mono-sodium glutamate.


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## Selkie

jennyema said:


> I'm not injecting MSG into suckling babies or adding it in huge amounts to processed food.
> 
> Just adding a very small pinch in certain home preparations.
> 
> I assure you that I am not addicted to it, nor has it made me obese.  Can't say the same for good wine, great cheese and potatoes and gravy, however!



You don't have to... MSG hides behind 25+ names, such as 'Natural Flavouring', It's also in your favorite coffee shops, restaurants and Drive-thrus (McDonalds, Burger King, Carl's Jr., etc. AND the worst of all, KFC.) MSG is used in 126,000+ processed foods, and the demand is increasing.

You've asked for science, I've given you science and some of you still argue it's safe. Too bad.


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## GB

Selkie said:


> You've asked for science, I've given you science and some of you still argue it's safe. Too bad.


For every piece of science you have offered, there are many more studies that will prove the opposite of the studies you supplied. 

If it is so dangerous then explain how Asian people, who are known to use MSG regularly, are among the healthiest people in the world.


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## Selkie

GB said:


> For every piece of science you have offered, there are many more studies that will prove the opposite of the studies you supplied.
> 
> If it is so dangerous then explain how Asian people, who are known to use MSG regularly, are among the healthiest people in the world.



Actually, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services:

 The rapid modernization of China and other Asian countries has produced an alarming spike in the rate of obesity and diabetes, which could undermine the region's economic and social stability, experts warned Wednesday. 
         Asia currently has around two-thirds of the world's diabetics, or around 90 million people with the disease, according to Paul Zimmet, the chairman of the International Obesity Task Force, and the number of diabetics in Asia is set to reach 120 million by 2010, said Zimmet, citing World Health Organization data. 
          By 2025, the number of Asians with diabetes could hit 198 million,  he said.   
         Meanwhile, the rate of obesity among Asian children is increasing by about 1 percent each year, roughly the same rate as in Australia, the United States and Britain, according to the task force's Asia-Pacific director, Tim Gill. 



_*Enough said.*_


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## CharlieD

GB said:


> For every piece of science you have offered, there are many more studies that will prove the opposite of the studies you supplied.
> 
> If it is so dangerous then explain how Asian people, who are known to use MSG regularly, are among the healthiest people in the world.


 




























gosh i was going to add another gazilion thums up but only allowed 8.


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## CharlieD

Selkie said:


> Actually, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services:
> 
> The rapid modernization of China and other Asian countries .._*.*_


 

Those are the key words. Modern foods, modern values, overeating because foods are much more available than before are the reasons Not MSG.


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## Jeff G.

julesthegolfer said:


> I know msg is in the doghouse, but I can't remember why.  I'm tempted to start using it again because I did think it brought out the flavor of some food.  Does anyone know why it is now taboo.  I know some people are allergic to it, but if you're not, why not use it?



the "MSG" incident came about after a food critic felt ill after eating at a restaurant.  He associated it with MSG, and published it.  After that it blossomed.  The fact is, MSG is a NATURAL ingredient, and can add much of what is now considered to be Umami to your dish.  

MSG is a natural ingredient. If you eat meat of any type, you are getting some MSG.  
In double blind taste tests they have not been able to create anything greater than slight and short lived flushing of the skin with high doses and those results were with very few people.  Read the unbiased research papers and you will see the fear of MSG is unfounded.


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## GrillingFool

> A comprehensive review of* all available scientific data* on glutamate safety sponsored by the FDA *in 1995 *reaffirmed the safety of MSG when consumed at levels typically used in cooking and food manufacturing. The report found no evidence to suggest that MSG contributes to any long-term health problems, such as Alzheimer's disease. But it did acknowledge that some people may have short-term reactions to MSG.


--- from the Mayo Clinic.


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## Uncle Bob

MSG is the sodium salt of the naturally occurring amino acid, glutamic acid which makes up 10 to 25 % of *ALL (That's ALL) *food protein, from both animal and vegetable sources. In addition to being an ingredient intentionally added to foods, glutamate occurs as a *natural part (That's Natural part) *of ALL *(That's ALL)* vegetable and animal proteins!

Bon Appetite!


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## Selkie

Uncle Bob said:


> MSG is the sodium salt of the naturally occurring amino acid, glutamic acid which makes up 10 to 25 % of *ALL (That's ALL) *food protein, from both animal and vegetable sources. In addition to being an ingredient intentionally added to foods, glutamate occurs as a *natural part (That's Natural part) *of ALL *(That's ALL)* vegetable and animal proteins!
> 
> Bon Appetite!



Claiming MSG is natural because free glutamic acid appears in tomatoes or seaweed is sort of like saying cocaine is natural because it's derived from ingredients found in the coca leaf.

In naturally occuring amounts MSG is harmless, but in amounts that make it highly concentrated and many times more potent, it's a neurotoxin! And that's what is going into our food.


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## Uncle Bob

Selkie said:
			
		

> I rest my case!



May I politely suggest you do the same here!! 

Have a good evening..


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## CharlieD

Thank you Uncle Bob.


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## Wyogal

so, I guess I shouldn't snort large quantities of MSG, nor mainline it???
haha! I thought this was all on another thread and argued ad naseum...
Have a great day.


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## larry_stewart

I once used a little too much , got a headache.  Now I use less, with no problems at all.


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## jennyema

Selkie said:


> You don't have to... MSG hides behind 25+ names, such as 'Natural Flavouring',


 
Yes. I am well aware of that.

I am adding none of those 25 things to my food. Just the MSG in Goya Sazon.

It's going in the chili I am making this afternoon!


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## suzyQ3

It is my humble opinion that these types of discussions are often not really just about a particular substance. What I generally infer from some is a kind of deep-seated distrust, bordering (to be kind) on a diffuse paranoia that is hard to define. It usually involves some kind of conspiracy theory that implicates EVIL scientists, the medical community, the government, and the modern world in general. 

Some are far more willing to believe junk science from sources that are downright hysterical ("Microwave Ovens Can Kill You" type sites) than anything produced by rational, logical, and unbiased research.

And thanks to the Internet, the exploitation of those susceptible to such fear-mongering has increased exponentially.


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## x7anooonah

MSG has failed many studies. The worse being that its bad for your brain like others have posted YIKES! I do not use MSG and try to avoid it however I cook with maggi at times which does contain it. They actually sell huge bags of it here and everyone calls it Chinese salt.


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## suzyQ3

x7anooonah said:


> MSG has failed many studies. The worse being that its bad for your brain like others have posted YIKES! I do not use MSG and try to avoid it however I cook with maggi at times which does contain it. They actually sell huge bags of it here and everyone calls it Chinese salt.



There are no credible studies that prove MSG is "bad for your brain."


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## x7anooonah

Well, like all this it is up for the individual to decide. My husband works at a hospital and the studies that I personally saw made me decided to use as little as possible.


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## suzyQ3

x7anooonah said:


> Well, like all this it is up for the individual to decide. My husband works at a hospital and the studies that I personally saw made me decided to use as little as possible.



That's your decision. I only take exception to misleading and unsubstantiated statements. I personally don't feel any need to add it when cooking, but that's solely a culinary choice.


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