MSG Panic Began With Letter

Scientists and food regulators generally consider monosodium glutamate, or MSG, safe in normal dietary amounts. In 1968, a Chinese American physician named Robert Ho Man Kwok reported numbness, weakness, and heart palpitations after eating at Chinese restaurants. He suggested several possible causes, including cooking wine, high sodium levels, and MSG, but public attention focused on the additive and created a lasting food myth. The US Food and Drug Administration classifies MSG as "generally recognized as safe," while blinded studies have failed to consistently trigger reactions in people who identify as sensitive to it.

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