MSG Has Gluten In It Right?

[norahsmommy]

I found this shopping web site where you list the things you have 'gluten intolerance' or whatever and when you search foods it will tell you which ones not to buy based on your info. Well several of the 'ok' foods have MSG in them. Thats a no no right? I was trying to come up with a list of mainstream foods that are gluten free that I can buy.

[jerseyangel]

I found this shopping web site where you list the things you have 'gluten intolerance' or whatever and when you search foods it will tell you which ones not to buy based on your info. Well several of the 'ok' foods have MSG in them. Thats a no no right? I was trying to come up with a list of mainstream foods that are gluten free that I can buy.

MSG is not a gluten concern.

[norahsmommy]

MSG is not a gluten concern.

Its NOT? Wow ok, great! Its in a dang lot of foods!

[lovegrov]

Just to add emphasis, Patti is right.

richard

[Emilushka]

Where did the worry about MSG originally start? Do you guys know? I had thought it was a problem.

[psawyer]

I don't know where this celiac myth came from. But it keeps coming back.

[mushroom]

MSG is a problem for some people, but it has nothing to do with gluten.

[Emilushka]

Oh, I know MSG triggers migraines and can cause all kinds of reactions on its own. I realize it's not a healthy thing to eat. I just thought (incorrectly!) that it was a celiac thing.

Thanks for the clarification! That's really helpful. That and maltodextrin are two things this site has let me eat again. HUZZAH!

[tarnalberry]

I think the myth started because MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. But glutamate is an amino acid that we already consume and is a part of many of the proteins in our body. Totally, completely different from gluten.

[Emilushka]

The version I heard was about the way MSG is manufactured. I heard that was the problem. Nothing more specific, though.

[Skylark]

It's not a celiac myth, but rather outdated information. One of the major ways MSG used to be made was hydrolysis of gluten. Now MSG in the US mostly made by bacterial fermentation so it's gluten-free. It is probably unwise to buy bulk MSG that is imported from a country that doesn't require wheat to be labeled (like at an Asian market). You can't be sure it wasn't manufactured in the old way from wheat.

This was in the references on the Wikipedia article on MSG.

Leung, Albert Y.; Foster, Steven (August 2003). "Monosodium Glutamate". Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients: Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley. pp. 373–375. ISBN 978-0-471-47128-8. "Monosodium glutamate can generally be produced by three methods: (1) hydrolysis of proteins such as gluten or proteins present in sugar beet wastes, (2) synthesis, and (3) microbial fermentation. In the hydrolysis method, the protein is hydrolyzed with a strong mineral acid to free amino acids, and the glutamic acid is then separated from the mixture, purified, and converted to its monosodium salt, [monosodium glutamate]. This used to be the major method of [monosodium glutamate] manufacture. Currently most of the world production of [monosodium glutamate] is by bacterial fermentation. In this method, bacteria (especially strains of Micrococcus glutamicus) are grown aerobically in a liquid nutrient medium containing a carbon source (e.g., dextrose or citrate), a nitrogen source such as ammonium ions or urea, and mineral ions and growth factors. The bacteria selected for this process have the ability to excrete glutamic acid they synthesize outside of their cell membrane into the medium and accumulate there. The glutamic acid is separated from the fermentation broth by filtration, concentration, acidification, and crystallization, followed by conversion to its monosodium salt [monosodium glutamate].".

[Emilushka]

MSG used to be manufactured from wheat protein. Nowadays it is made by genetically engineered bacteria growing on sugar so it is gluten-free. I have also seen posts here with people who are confused by the similarity of the words "gluten" and "glutamate".

Thank you!

[cassP]

skylark beat me to it

ya, i read that the japanese invented it because they wanted to make something that had the same effect on the brain as gluten did... and i think at first they made it from kelp- but then from wheat.. and that they make it from bacteria here.

MSG bloats me up to look like im 4 months pregnant, but no headache. i HATE it.

has anyone ever heard of the G.A.R.D. diet? its interesting and might explain why MSG & Gluten can have similar effects on many ...

[Cypressmyst]

Dr. Vikki had a recent You Tube video about MSG and Gluten. There is a connection in the effects on the body.

As a follow up here is her blog post on the subject as well.

Open Original Shared Link

I've stayed away from it for a while now because it is addictive and I can't pronounce it. Thank goodness for small favors.

[Skylark]

Dr. Vikki had a recent You Tube video about MSG and Gluten. There is a connection in the effects on the body.

It's a shame she hasn't provided any references. The blog post is a little difficult to swallow. It's clear that some people do not tolerate glutamate and other dietary amino acids well, but the jump from that to autoimmunity needs scientific references to substantiate it.

[Cypressmyst]

I don't know. The doctors who live and breath this stuff every day telling me that this is what they have found is good enough for me.

But if you are really interested in the nitty gritty hard data on the subject you could always send her a message. She seems to be fairly responsive and open to questions but does try to keep things simple on her blog and You Tube videos for us non-sciencey types.

[cassP]

i know u cant trust everything on the internet- but does anyone know if there's any truth to the claims that: Soy Protein Isolate and Autolyzed Yeast Extract are really just fake names for MSG??

[Cypressmyst]

I can only share my cousin's story about soy protein isolate.

She suffered migraines for 10 years, finally did her own research and found a link to MSG. So she started cutting it out of her diet and her headaches got much better and so did her food cravings.

She then found this protein bar that she got addicted to. She would get headaches when eating them but couldn't stop. Reading the packaging she found it had SPI in it and did research and found the MSG connection. After cutting it out her headaches again got better and cravings subsided.

Anecdotal yes, but one persons story for whatever it is worth.

It wasn't until she cut out gluten that her headaches went away completely. No more sunglasses at night.

[mushroom]

Here's what the International Food Information Council Foundation has to say about it:

Open Original Shared Link

"Is MSG safe?

Yes. MSG is one of the most extensively researched substances in the food supply. Numerous international scientific evaluations have been undertaken over many years, involving hundreds of studies. The United States and other governments worldwide support the safety of MSG as used in foods.

MSG Safety

* U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Designates MSG as safe (Generally Recognized as Safe/GRAS), with common ingredients such as salt and baking powder. (1958)

National Academy of Sciences: Confirms the safety of MSG as a food ingredient. (1979)

* Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations World Health and Food and Agricultural Organizations: Designates MSG as safe and places it in its safest category for food additives. (1988)

* European Community's Scientific Committee for Food: Confirms MSG safety. (1991)

* American Medical Association: Concludes that MSG is safe, at normal consumption levels in the diet. (1992)

* FDA: Reaffirms MSG safety based upon a report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. (1995)

Is MSG safe for children?

Yes. Infants, including premature babies, metabolize glutamate the same as adults. Research has shown that newborn infants are able to detect and prefer the taste of glutamate. Glutamate is actually 10 times more abundant in human breast milk than in cow's milk.

How can I tell if Glutamate or MSG is added to foods?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires labeling of all ingredients on processed and packaged foods. When MSG is added to a food, it must be included on the ingredient list, as "monosodium glutamate." Glutamate-containing food ingredients, such as hydrolyzed protein and autolyzed yeast extract, also must be listed on food labels. When glutamate is a component of natural protein foods, like tomatoes, it is not listed separately on the label."

There is a lot more there about where MSG comes from, but it is not the same as autolyzed yeast extract or hydrolized protein, which is why they must all be labelled separately.

See, for example:

How is MSG made?

In the early 1900s, MSG was extracted from natural protein-rich foods such as seaweed. Today, MSG is made from starch, corn sugar or molasses from sugar cane or sugar beets. MSG is produced by a natural fermentation process that has been used for centuries to make such common foods as beer, vinegar and yogurt.

[cassP]

interesting! thanku! i dont think my body likes ANYTHING glutamat-ish

[Skylark]

I love the table in that article, showing the glutamate content of human breast milk (10x higher than cow's milk).

It is possible to be hypersensitive to MSG, but unusual. To avoid glutamate, you would have to remove foods like tomato juice, parmesean cheese, and aged beef from your diet as well as all the hydrolyzed proteins on food labels that have the self-proclaimed Internet Health Gurus up in arms. There are people who have to eat a low glutamate diet (fortunately it's not an essential amino acid) and it's really, really hard, not because of MSG on labels, but because of all the naturally-occurring glutamate in food.

[cassP]

good point skylark- but is it possible that the natural forms dont act the same in the body like the synthetic forms?? i never react to meat or tomatoes... hell, even tho ive got SOME issues with milk- it still doesnt set me off like MSG

[Skylark]

Glutamate is glutamate, and if there is any salt in your food it will convert to monosodium glutamate naturally. The reaction is dose-dependent, but if you think you are reacting to traces of MSG and don't react to natural sources there is probably something else going on. Obviously some manufactured foods have more MSG than others.

[cassP]

i DO react to MSG.

[Skylark]

i DO react to MSG.

Then you need to do some research about natural sources of MSG and look at your diet. You might feel better if you eliminate those as well.