Competitive_Ad_5515 t1_iujmih4 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 8:45 PM

Reply to comment by wilbur111 in ELI5: Why does MSG make food taste so irresistible? And why is everyone against it? by theinvincible-dosa

Also the research was more along the lines of "the sodium contained in msg does not contribute to raised blood/system sodium levels" similar to the cholesterol in eggs being found not to significantly raise blood levels

yuoioa t1_iuk6pri wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:17 PM

> Also the research was more along the lines of "the sodium contained in msg does not contribute to raised blood/system sodium levels"

That doesn't sound very plausible. When MSG dissolves, it dissociates into sodium ions and glutamate ions. The sodium ions are exactly the same as the ions from, e.g., sodium chloride - they don't "remember" that they used to be attached to glutamate ions. And surely any MSG that you eat will dissolve pretty quickly as it goes through your digestive system?

The controversial health claims about MSG are that it has some other mysterious effect that makes people feel ill after eating it, in a way that doesn't happen with sodium chloride. Sometimes it is claimed that everyone experiences these effects, but sometimes it is claimed that only certain people are sensitive to it (which, of course, would be harder to rule out).

Competitive_Ad_5515 t1_iuk7b67 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:22 PM

MSG is actually recommend in low-sodium diets, because it contains less sodium than the salt it is often replacing; often by up to 40%.

But yes, you are right that it in and of itself does actually act as a source of sodium for the body.