MSG Allergy Symptoms
Monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG, is a sodium salt of the naturally occurring non-essential amino acid, glutamic acid. This is a commonly used food additive and it acts as a flavor enhancer. It is also well known by its trade name Ajinomoto. This food additive became infamous when it became a subject of health studies. A report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) which was compiled in 1995 on behalf of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that MSG was safe for most people when it was 'eaten at customary levels'. However, it also said that, based on certain reports, some people may have a condition that can lead to 'MSG symptom complex'. This condition was said to cause worsening of asthmatic symptoms.
What are Symptoms of MSG Allergy?
There are many symptoms that will help you to identify this condition. These symptoms range from being mild to severe, although they are usually mild and true, severe MSG sensitivity, that which rivals peanut allergy, is rare. Patients generally complain of a severe headache, which is throbbing in nature, leading to the feeling of the head contracting and expanding. Sometimes, people may also complain of dizziness and mental disorientation and confusion.
Besides neurologic symptoms, there may also be symptoms like a burning sensation in the skin of the extremities and even in the region of the chest, resembling a constant pin prick sensation. If the MSG reaction symptoms begin to get very severe, then there may even be jaw tightness, which could lead to difficulty in opening the mouth and even throat tightness. This throat tightness may transcend into upper chest tightness, which in turn could lead to breathing problems. This may be accompanied by chest pain and difficulty breathing with a crushing sensation in the chest. If the pain in the chest region aggravates, there may even be gastrointestinal disturbances, like nausea, vomiting, etc. Cutaneous changes include mild to moderate swelling of the face and related regions.
However, we need to understand that there is a difference between MSG allergy symptoms and MSG intolerance symptoms. A food allergy is an immune system response which occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food as being a harmful foreign body and lands up generating antibodies against it. Food intolerance on the other hand is a response by the digestive system, rather than the immune system. It occurs when some ingredient in food irritates a person's digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest or breakdown the food due to the absence of an enzyme or some other factor that is present in that metabolic pathway.
As is the case with most food allergies, there is no cure for MSG allergy symptoms. The only way of going about it is by staying clear of foods that contain MSG. To aid people in this cause, in 1993, the Federation of Drug Association proposed adding the phrase 'contains glutamate' to the common or usual names of certain protein hydrolysates that contain such amounts of glutamate that it could prove to be of concern for certain individuals. The FDA considers labels such as 'No MSG' or 'No Added MSG' to be misleading if the food item even contains ingredients that are sources of free glutamate, such as hydrolyzed protein. For people that do show true signs and symptoms of MSG allergy, the food additives disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, which are nucleic acids, are usually preferable substitutes for monosodium glutamate-containing ingredients. In short, people that have a known allergy to MSG may have to stay clear of eating out at Chinese restaurants way too often. Then again, that's a very small price to pay for keeping MSG allergy symptoms at bay!
