Udisha
The age-old debate in science
The speculations regarding MSG began after a doctor claimed that he experienced headache after eating from a Chinese restaurant, back in 1968. He said, the issue could be caused by MSG which gave rise to a lot of concern and panic regarding its use. However, science has since proven that MSG is safe and cannot be linked to any severe disease.
Extreme lab tests
The panic surrounding MSG deepened when unrealistic lab tests were carried out where animals were injected with massive doses of MSG. This in no way represented the way human beings safely consume MSG and was a flawed experiment.
Cultural bias
A large fraction of people believe that the sudden speculation surrounding MSG was triggered by Anti-Asian sentiments that were so common in the West. This was caused due to lack of knowledge regarding world cuisine and food culture in the East.
Ignorance of natural glutamate
A lot of the outcry came from not knowing what exactly MSG is: crystallized version of glutamate. This is a kind of amino acid which can be found in tomatoes, aged cheese and even mushrooms which humans regularly eat.