Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is notorious for causing headaches, allergy symptoms, and other unsettling health problems.
MSG is a so-called “flavor enhancer.” It’s added to some processed and Asian foods.
For decades, food manufacturers have denied that it causes any problems. But the ill effects are so common that they even have a name:
Chinese restaurant syndrome. It’s also referred to as MSG symptom complex.i ii
Besides the symptoms mentioned above, sufferers report muscle tightness, weakness, numbness, flushing, and asthma attacks. Research shows that eating MSG is also linked to weight gain.iii
Another study found that MSG can trigger a health issue that you might never suspect it could cause: chronic pain.
Scientists from American University, Michigan University, and Meru University of Science and Technology in Kenya collaborated on the research.iv
Cutting Out MSG Relieves Pain as Well as Taking Tylenol
The goal was to find whether cutting out dietary MSG would relieve chronic pain. Researchers recruited 30 people who had suffered chronic pain for three months or more.
They discovered that an MSG-free diet had about the same pain-relieving effect as taking acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Dr. Daniel J. Clauw is a pain researcher at the University of Michigan. He was one of the study authors. “This would be incredible if we could impact chronic pain simply by making slight modifications to diet,” he said.
The study was published in the journal Nutrition.
Researchers don’t know exactly how MSG causes pain. But there are clues…
Glutamate is a chemical neurotransmitter. This means it is used by nerve cells to send signals to other cells. But when there is too much glutamate, it leads to a condition called excitotoxicity.v
This is when nerve cells become over-stimulated. This may amplify pain signals.vi
The simple solution is to stop eating MSG. But that’s not as easy as it sounds.
Because of MSG’s horrible reputation, food makers often hide it in ingredient lists under different names.vii
21 Ingredients That Mean One Thing: MSG
You might see MSG labeled as:viii
- Glutamic acid
- Glutamate
- Monopotassium glutamate
- Calcium glutamate
- Monoammonium glutamate
- Magnesium glutamate
- Natrium glutamate
- Yeast extract
- Anything “hydrolyzed”
- Calcium caseinate
- Sodium caseinate
- Yeast food
- Yeast nutrient
- Autolyzed yeast
- Gelatin
- Textured protein
- Soy protein
- Soy protein concentrate
- Soy protein isolate
- Vetsin
- Ajinomoto
If you have pain issues, trying cutting MSG out of your diet. If you’re like the people in the study, you’ll find that your condition quickly improves.
Editor’s Note: Can CBD or medical marijuana relieve your pain? You won’t get straight answers from the mainstream media… Read Independent Healing to learn which conditions cannabis-based remedies can effectively treat, and which ones they can’t.
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