Image by Nicky Girly from Pixabay
Fried rice, General Tso’s Chicken, dumplings, and more! Chinese food is a savory cuisine full of flavor, umami, and contrasting flavor profiles. Sweet and Sour Pork anyone???
But sometimes it gets a bad rap. Yes, it might be a bit high on the salt content. While there are plenty of veggies, it is often carbs galore!
Beyond it often being the enemy of keto diets, the infamous Chinese restaurant syndrome may turn those with sensitive constitutions away.
Chinese restaurant syndrome is a group of symptoms often associated with consuming monosodium glutamate (MSG). A seasoning commonly used in Chinese food and other cuisines. Often used in Indian Foods and other international fare, its association is often stuck with Chinese food.
As you may expect, there is controversy on the topic.
What is MSG, how does it work, and what does it mean for the consumer?
Follow along for these topics and more!
The first known use of the term “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” is recorded in 1968.
At the time, the definition, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary was as follows:
“Chinese Restaurant Syndrome: noun
a group of symptoms (such as numbness of the neck, arms, and back with headache, dizziness, and palpitations) that is held to affect susceptible person eating food and especially Chinese food heavily seasoned with monosodium glutamate.”
Colloquially, the illness resulting in consuming too much MSG has also been called:
In 2020, the definition got a makeover. Despite the term still present in the name, the words “Chinese restaurant” was removed from the entry.
It now reads:
“Chinese Restaurant Syndrome: noun
A group of symptoms held to affect susceptible persons eating food heavily seasoned with monosodium glutamate: msg symptom complex”
Both definitions, however, point toward MSG as the source of symptoms.
MSG is a compound made up of sodium and glutamate used as a seasoning.
Sodium, you may recognize as a part of the chemical composition of table salt – Sodium Chloride.
Glutamate, however, is something you may or may not remember from science class.
Glutamate is one of the 20 amino acids that make up the building blocks of protein. It’s flavor contributes a savory aspect to the seasoning. This same flavor also comes from tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, and even breast milk – all with naturally occurring with the glutamate amino acid.
Touted as the “purest form of umami,” one of the five known tastes. The others being salty, sour, sweet, and bitter. It’s a flavor enhancer.
As an added benefit, MSG reduces the need for table salt. It also uses less of the ingredient than needed if using salt instead, likely lowering the sodium content of a dish by up to 40%.
A little goes a long way.
All of this sounds good, right?
For many, it absolutely is! No dish is complete without it.
However, some people experience an unfortunate and even potentially life-threatening reaction if consumed or over consumed.
Enter – MSG symptom complex.
The illness associated with Chinese restaurant syndrome.
MSG symptom complex is a collection of symptoms associated with consuming MSG.
First reports of the syndrome were published in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1968. The origins of the term, Chinese Restaurant Syndrome that became mainstream started here.
Following this entry, other reports of reactions to MSG surfaced. However, studies on MSG in foods have not been conclusive. No real connection has been made between consuming the compound and symptoms that people tend to describe.
The name Chinese restaurant syndrome is controversial. As you would expect with any illness associated with an ethnicity.
Many tout it as xenophobia to garner fear against “the other.” Particularly in the way it singles out Chinese food, despite it being used in many other international food recipes.
Perhaps because there was a focus on Chinese Americans at the time. Or maybe because Chinese food was more popularly consumed at the time than Indian food or others that may use the food additive.
Regardless, despite the definition changing, the name appears to linger. Efforts to shift the verbiage to MSG symptom syndrome have been marginally effective.
Turns out, regardless of the recipe it is used in, there appears to be no clear connection between the seasoning and the syndrome symptoms.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) performed a study on the issue.
While some participants reported minor reactions when consuming 3 or more grams of MSG without food, the agency found no evidence that MSG in food caused symptoms. Most foods contain less than 0.5 grams of the food additive.
As a result, MSG remains under the FDA category, “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS.
For those that report Chinese restaurant syndrome symptoms or MSG symptom complex, illnesses are usually mild and short-lived. There are currently no tests to diagnose the syndrome.
Commonly reported symptoms include:
Generally, MSG symptom complex needs no specific treatment. Most people recover quickly with no lasting impact.
As with any food, some people may experience an allergic reaction. In these cases, seek emergency medical help right away.
Signs of possible allergic reaction may include (but are not limited to):
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “What is Chinese Restaurant Syndrome Complex?,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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