ur enhancer in many commercial foods. The aim of this analysis was to investigate a possible association between MSG intake and obesity, and determine whether a greater MSG intake is associated with a clinically significant weight gain over 5 years. Data from 1282 Chinese men and women who participated in the Jiangsu Nutrition Study were analysed. In the present study, MSG intake and body weight were quantitatively assessed in 2002 and followed up in 2007. MSG intake was not associated with significant weight gain after adjusting for age, sex, multiple lifestyle factors and energy intake. When total glutamate intake was added to the model, an inverse association between MSG intake and 5 % weight gain was found (P = 0.028), but when the model was adjusted for either rice intake or food patterns, this association was abolished. These findings indicate that when other food items or dietary patterns are accounted for, no association exists between MSG intake and weight gain.
Scientists have discovered that one of the most common amino acids, glutamic acid, present in vegetable protein can help to lower blood pressure. Vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage are particularly high in glutamic acid, which is key in creating the umami (savoury) taste in foods. The study of 4680 people aged 40 to 59 found that the more dietary glutamic acid they consumed, the more their blood pressure fell.
Glutamic Acid, the Main Dietary Amino Acid, and Blood Pressure. The INTERMAP Study (International Collaborative Study of Macronutrients, Micronutrients and Blood Pressure)
Jeremiah Stamler MD*, Ian J. Brown PhD, Martha L. Daviglus MD, PhD, Queenie Chan MPhil, Hugo Kesteloot MD, PhD, Hirotsugu Ueshima MD, PhD, Liancheng Zhao MD, Paul Elliott MB, PhD, for the INTERMAP Research Group
Circulation.2009 (Published online before print July 6, 2009)
Background: Data are available that indicate an independent inverse relationship of dietary vegetable protein to the blood pressure (BP) of individuals. Here, we assess whether BP is associated with glutamic acid intake (the predominant dietary amino acid, especially in vegetable protein) and with each of 4 other amino acids that are relatively higher in vegetable than animal protein (proline, phenylalanine, serine, and cystine). METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study with 4680 persons 40 to 59 years of age from 17 random population samples in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. BP was measured 8 times at 4 visits; dietary data (83 nutrients, 18 amino acids) were obtained from 4 standardized, multipass, 24-hour dietary recalls and 2 timed 24-hour urine collections. Dietary glutamic acid (percentage of total protein intake) was inversely related to BP. Across multivariate regression models (model 1, which controlled for age, gender, and sample, through model 5, which controlled for 16 possible nonnutrient and nutrient confounders), estimated average BP differences associated with a glutamic acid intake that was higher by 4.72% of total dietary protein (2 SD) were -1.5 to -3.0 mm Hg systolic and -1.0 to -1.6 mm Hg diastolic (z scores -2.15 to -5.11). Results were similar for the glutamic acid-BP relationship with each of the other amino acids also in the model; eg, with control for 15 variables plus proline, systolic/diastolic pressure differences were -2.7/-2.0 mm Hg (z scores -2.51, -2.82). In these 2-amino acid models, higher intake (by 2 SD) of each of the other amino acids was associated with small BP differences and z scores. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary glutamic acid may have independent BP-lowering effects, which may contribute to the inverse relation of vegetable protein to BP.
This very thorough review paper examines all of the available scientific literature relating to the possible role of monosodium glutamate in provoking allergic reactions and asthma. The review concludes that these studies have failed to demonstrate a clear and consistent link between the ingestion of monosodium glutamate and the development of allergies and asthma. In their conclusi