. It explains that glutamate has many functions, including in promoting better nutrition in older people and in patients at risk of under-nutrition. In addition, the review confirms that glutamate works well in reduced-sodium and reduced-fat dishes, reducing the total amount of sodium by 30-40% without reducing palatability. The review concludes that despite allegations which associate glutamate with asthma, migraine headache and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS), there is no science to support this claim. It also states that there is no consistent evidence to suggest that individuals may be uniquely sensitive to glutamate.
Glutamate. Its applications in food and contribution to health.
S.Jinap and P. Hajeb
Appetite (2010), doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.05.002
This article reviews the application of glutamate in food and its benefits and role as one of the common food ingredients used. Monosodium glutamate is one of the most abundant naturally occurring amino acids which is frequently added as a flavour enhancer. It produces a unique taste, that cannot be provided by other basic tastes (saltiness, sourness, sweetness and bitterness), referred to as a fifth taste (umami). Glutamate serves some functions in the body as well, serving as an energy source for certain tissues and as a substrate for glutathione synthesis. Glutamate has the potential to enhance food intake in older individuals and dietary free glutamate evokes a visceral sensation from the stomach, intestine and portal vein. Small quantities of glutamate used in combination with a reduced amount of table salt during food preparation allow for far less salt to be used during and after cooking. Because glutamate is one of the most intensely studied food ingredients in the food supply and has been found safe, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization placed it in the safest category for food additives. Despite a widespread belief that glutamate can elicit asthma, migraine headache and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS), there are no consistent clinical data to support this claim. In addition, findings from the literature indicate that there is no consistent evidence to suggest that individuals may be uniquely sensitive to glutamate.
Introduction and Summary of the 2018 Dietary Glutamate Workshop
Cynober L., Fernstrom J.D., Koletzko B., Rietjens I.M.C.M., Roberts A., Tennant D.R., Tomé D., Vorhees C.V.
Ann Nutr Metab (2018), doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.05.002
Conclusion: “The current estimated dietary exposure to glutamates resulting from use as food additives (E620–E625) at both the mean and the 95th percentile remains far below this suggested value of at least 240 mg/kg body weight per day. Considering the metabolic pathways of glutamate, the self-limiting character of glutamate taste (umami), and the fact that a practical limit on glutamate use in final foods already exists (10 g/kg of food), there are no compelling arguments to warrant change of the ADI of “not specified.” This fact has been already recognized by the other respected regulatory bodies, including the US Food and Drug Administration and the Food Standards Australia New Zealand.”
In this study (below), researchers, led by Zumin Shi from the Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, assessed dietary glutamate intakes in almost 1,300 Chinese people. The researchers observed that over 5 years of study, there was no link between MSG intake and weight gain, even in people with relatively high intakes of MSG.
Monosodium glutamate is not associated with obesity or a greater prevalence of weight gain over 5 years: findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese adults.
Shi Z, Luscombe-Marsh ND, Wittert GA, Yuan B, Dai Y, Pan X, Taylor AW.
Br J Nutr. 2010 Apr 7:1-7.
Animal studies and one large cross-sectional study of 752 healthy Chinese men and women suggest that monosodium glutamate (MSG) may be associated with overweight/obesity, and these findings raise public concern over the use of MSG as a flavo