From: x92lee22@gw.wmich.edu
Subject: Re: Is MSG sensitivity superstition?
Organization: Western Michigan University
Lines: 33

In article <annick.735440726@cortex.physiol.su.oz.au>, annick@cortex.physiol.su.oz.au (Annick Ansselin) writes:
> In <C5nFDG.8En@sdf.lonestar.org> marco@sdf.lonestar.org (Steve Giammarco) writes:
> 
>>>
>>>And to add further fuel to the flame war, I read about 20 years ago that
>>>the "natural" MSG - extracted from the sources you mention above - does not
>>>cause the reported aftereffects; it's only that nasty "artificial" MSG -
>>>extracted from coal tar or whatever - that causes Chinese Restaurant
>>>Syndrome.  I find this pretty hard to believe; has anyone else heard it?
> 
> MSG is mono sodium glutamate, a fairly straight forward compound. If it is
> pure, the source should not be a problem. Your comment suggests that 
> impurities may be the cause.
> My experience of MSG effects (as part of a double blind study) was that the
> pure stuff caused me some rather severe effects.
> 
>>I was under the (possibly incorrect) assumption that most of the MSG on
>>our foods was made from processing sugar beets. Is this not true? Are 
>>there other sources of MSG?
> 
> Soya bean, fermented cheeses, mushrooms all contain MSG. 
> 
>>I am one of those folx who react, sometimes strongly, to MSG. However,
>>I also react strongly to sodium chloride (table salt) in excess. Each
>>causes different symptoms except for the common one of rapid heartbeat
>>and an uncomfortable feeling of pressure in my chest, upper left quadrant.
> 
> The symptoms I had were numbness of jaw muscles in the first instance
> followed by the arms then the legs, headache, lethargy and unable to keep
> awake. I think it may well affect people differently.

Well, I think msg is made from a kind of plant call "tapioca" and not those
staff you mentiond above.
