MSG (Mono-sodium Glutamate)

[InbetweenDreams]

So I have been having a spell of stomach trouble, pretty much everything except vomiting, for the last couple weeks.... Now the last several days I have been almost normal. It's not just stomach trouble, I often had spells of dizziness, having headaches and head pressure. The worst was after going to the bathroom I felt like I might pass out, like if my blood pressure dropped.

I did some research and it is possible that may have been something to do with the vagas nerve. However, I feel that there is something else at work. I have thought about going back to my doctor but I will more than likely be ignored and told to start a medication that has nothing to do with why I came, I should probably find another doctor. She has ignored pretty much everything I have come to her about, granted sometimes I worry too much about things that probably aren't a real problem, she just seems very dismissive and the only things she has done in the two years is to try prescribing anti-depressants and cholesterol medication (that's another story)

I talked to a friend of mine and told him the above issues I have had with my stomach and not feeling well he quickly said that sounded a lot like him and how he was almost diagnosed with MS. Said that his problem was with MSG in foods. I have also stopped doing meal prep because of the expense and started buying frozen lunches and cheap noodle bowls, both which I'm sure have MSG and the soup probably has the highest content of it. That change was about the same time I started having problems and I don't think it was a coincidence.

So has anyone had issues with MSG, isn't the additive banned in some countries? I know MSG occurs naturally in some foods, like tomatoes, but I think when something like that is being added to all kinds of foods you get exposed to it much more and in higher contents where it can cause problems. Just wanted to get some feedback on that.

For the record, no blood in anything as far as I can tell... pains have been mild to moderate at the worst...not really enough to think anything is seriously wrong... If there was something like a blockage I think I would have experienced much more pain and other symptoms, this sounds like a food thing.

I am in the process of changing back to a meal prep type thing and reduce the amount of MSG, or really just crap I eat. I think that will help with some of the problems I have and my ultimate goal of losing weight.

[knickerbuck]

oh my have a fondness for msg myself though i have never been sick of it .. it's probably a race thing .. like some people are lactose intolerant ..

[Emiliano]

I've never had a bad reaction to msg. But like knickerbuck said, maybe that's just a gift from my Asian ancestors. An attempt to make up for my lactose intolerance.

[Insertnamehere]

Ok, first of all, L-glutamate is one of the 20 standard amino acids, so you're consuming it by default with any kind of protein and it is part of the structure for probably thousands of your own proteins. Of course, it's not the same getting L-glutamate by having to hydrolize proteins than consuming it directly as a monosodium salt, but I'm just throwing this out there so that people realize it's a naturally occurring molecule you can find anywhere there is a living organism.

I've always been a bit skeptical as to the myriad of nasty effects dumped on such simple molecules based on amino acids. They're just so easily metabolized that most things I read seem a bit exaggerated.

But, that's why you have ScienceDirect, PubMed, NCBI and the likes.

I will make a more thorough search when I'm at work, cause I don't have access to all the cool papers from this non-academic IP adress.

I do know, though, that L-Glutamate and L-Aspartate are agonists to NMDA neuron receptors (I think it was those ones), which is not suprising: a lot of neurotransmitters are aminoacid derivatives. So, chances are that consuming a certain amount of MSG does play a role in neurophysiology.

What is always important to note is a universal truth: "the dosis makes the poison"

Meaning, you have to consume a certain amount of anything for it to have detrimental health effects.

For instance, I remember reading a paper where aspartame did show some unpleasant effects, but at dosis 20-30 times higher than the daily recommended intake.

[knickerbuck]

Ok, first of all, L-glutamate is one of the 20 standard amino acids, so you're consuming it by default with any kind of protein and it is part of the structure for probably thousands of your own proteins. Of course, it's not the same getting L-glutamate by having to hydrolize proteins than consuming it directly as a monosodium salt, but I'm just throwing this out there so that people realize it's a naturally occurring molecule you can find anywhere there is a living organism.

I've always been a bit skeptical as to the myriad of nasty effects dumped on such simple molecules based on amino acids. They're just so easily metabolized that most things I read seem a bit exaggerated.

But, that's why you have ScienceDirect, PubMed, NCBI and the likes.

I will make a more thorough search when I'm at work, cause I don't have access to all the cool papers from this non-academic IP adress.

I do know, though, that L-Glutamate and L-Aspartate are agonists to NMDA neuron receptors (I think it was those ones), which is not suprising: a lot of neurotransmitters are aminoacid derivatives. So, chances are that consuming a certain amount of MSG does play a role in neurophysiology.

What is always important to note is a universal truth: "the dosis makes the poison"

Meaning, you have to consume a certain amount of anything for it to have detrimental health effects.

For instance, I remember reading a paper where aspartame did show some unpleasant effects, but at dosis 20-30 times higher than the daily recommended intake.

you heard it dudes .. glutamate is natural for us no harm in taking it's an amino acid anyway and that's the fun part = p

[InbetweenDreams]

Well the problem is that you have all these "truthers" out there who make all these claims that the FDA is allowing food companies to poison us...yeah I'm sure there's some arm twisting, however I am concerned that there are additives that are banned in European countries and not in the US...

What I am curious of though is whether or not something I am eating is causing me problems or I have something going on that is unrelated. What is frustrating for me is that I tell my doctor I have these things going on, complain about heart palpitations, skipping beats and so on for it all to be dismissed all likely because I was diagnosed by an ER doctor that I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder... I mean it all could be anxiety but I don't feel anxious, not like I was, I really was in bad shape two years ago...This is different..

Here in the past coulple weeks I have had either abdominal discomfort or pain in lower left part of my stomach, comes and goes before and after I do my business. I know that isn't normal.

The other thing is my mom has Irritable Bowel Syndrome and I kind of always thought it was due to all the many medications she's on, however that could be it and it could just be genetics.

All I can say was a week ago I had a terrible episode where I had what appeared to be a panic attack, felt terrible for about an hour. Reminded me of the panic attack where I wound up in the ER, hands started getting tingly, felt very jittery...no chest pain or anything like that thank god.. I just don't know precisely what brought it on...

[knickerbuck]

it's a race thing i think axle maybe Insertnamehere can explain.. for example like us asians (pacific islanders to be more specific) ... most of us are lactose intolerant due to a genetic factor, could be like that in your case for you caucasians, you must lack an enzyme of some sort to metabolise or catabolise glutamate hence the pain in your tummy .. although it does truly in fact enhance the flavor, does it really do for you [MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION]? putting aside all the pain in your tummy .. :p

[InbetweenDreams]

Well the thing is nothing in the past ever bothered, me, so either my physiology has changed, like people becoming allergic to something or something else is up...

I know what you mean. I don't know that MSG does anything for me personally..I imagine it is subtle.

[InbetweenDreams]

Interestingly enough an older thread some folks did report similar problems...

https://gayspeak.com/showthread.php?t=23105

Problem is finding foods that don't have it...or have very little of it...

[LJay]

[MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION], get thee to the doctor ASAP. If you have any lack of confidence in you present doctor then find another one. It is best not to try to self-diagnose things like this and it is even less best to look for answers on a web forum. If the symptoms are persistent, go to a doctor.

As for MSG, the talk about it causing health problems was quashed when it was not the MSG in Asian food, it was nasties growing in the rice cooker.

If fixing our own food was working for you then it might be a good idea to go back to that and see if it helps, but I would still get to the doctor.

PS: The vagus nerve runs all over the place so you can blame nearly anything on it if you try. The word vagus in Latin means wanderer, as in our word vagrant.