Monosodium Glutamate Rationale and Presentation Outline
Shelton R. Artis Jr.
Western Governors University
YJT1 TASK 1
March 5, 2015

Presentation Rationale (A)
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In the health conscious world we live in today; what we eat is very important. It is also very important to be educated on what we eat and the effects it can have on a body. There is a constant reminder via internet, television, and radio that diets; high in sodium, sugars, and fats are bad for a person wanting to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle. A substance not as highly publicized today but widely viewed by public also to be harmful is Monosodium glutamate (MSG). The purpose of this presentation; is to educate the audience about MSG; conveying facts and debunking myths about the food additive. This target audience would include but not limited to: the health conscious curious as to how MSG effects the body, those whom may have a fear of the additive based being misinformed, and years of MSG negative press, those who just want to know more about Monosodium Glutamate, and anyone who consumes they additive on a regular basis for I believe we have a right to know what we are consuming.
Glutamate, one of the most common amino acids found in nature, it is present in many proteins and peptides and most tissues (S. Jinap, P. Hajeb, 2010). It is responsible for the umami taste in foods, which includes but not limited to beef, chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables, and some dairy products we eat. In its natural state it is in the form of L-glutamate an essential amino acid, and in its processed state in the form of a sodium salt, the most common being MSG. While glutamate is naturally occurring in several foods, it is common practice to add glutamate as a food additive in the form of a flavor enhancer. The addition of glutamate as an enhancer was the basis for what led to approximately a half century of research and debate as to the safety of MSG.
MSG has been the alleged cause of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS) and many other health issues since the late 1960s'. Early studies that found MSG to be unsafe had methodological flaws, and there has been no definitive connection between MSG and “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. While the allegations still remain today; over 40 years of research have proven Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) to be a safe food additive in millions of food products, and through my presentation I will convey, and educate audience on the safety of MSG.

Monosodium Glutamate Presentation Outline (B)
1. OUTLINE INTRODUCTION a. RESEARCH BASED THESIS STATEMENT In the health conscious world we live in today, what we eat is very important. There is a constant reminder via internet, television, and radio that diets; high in sodium, sugars, and fats are bad for a person wanting to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle. A substance not as highly publicized today but widely viewed by public also to be harmful is Monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG has been the alleged cause of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS) and many other health issues since the late 1960s'. Early studies that found MSG to be unsafe had methodological flaws, and there has been no definitive connection between MSG and “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. While the allegations still remain today; over 40 years of research have proven Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) to be a safe food additive in millions of food products. b. PRESENTATION MAIN POINTS 1. Methodological flaws of early testing 2. No Connection between Chinese Restaurant Syndrome and MSG 3. MSG a safe food additive 2. OUTLINE BODY a. SUPPORT FOR MAIN POINTS 1. In the late 40’s Chinese cuisine culture began to reach the American cuisine culture with the first Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. A report in a medical journal in 1968 listed a number of symptoms of patients who dined in a Chinese restaurant. The symptoms of the so-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS) included numbness, radiating to the back, arms, and neck, weakness; and palpitations. The original author suggested several possible culprits for these symptoms, including cooking wine, sodium content, and the seasoning MSG (Freeman, M., 2009). Being unfamiliar to the public, and unknown in American culinary vocabulary, MSG attracted the most attention as being the leading culprit of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” (CRS). The first studies conducted on the cause of CRS contained multiple problems. In 1968, scientists were able to elicit dose-dependent reactions to Monosodium glutamate in several different ways to include but not limited to soups, broth, and intravenous administration. This pioneering test of the cause of CRS only contained six subjects, and was not all blinded, calling in to question the validity of the results. Public awareness and concerns about the safety and use of MSG became more prevalent in the late 70’s. A cross-sectional study conducted by Reif-Lehrer of the Harvard Medical School revealed the possibility of 25% of the population being susceptible to CRS. The name of the medical school behind the test allowed for very little questioning of the validity of the study’s results despite the methodological flaws present. In the Reif-Lehrer’s study, Reif-Lehrer asked participants the question “Do you think you get Chinese restaurant syndrome?” and included a description of the potential symptoms (Mosby, I., 2011). Later Harvard medical school test revealed different results asking the questions “Have you ever heard of Chinese restaurant syndrome, what symptoms are associated with it, and whether they had personally experienced it?” (Mosby, I., 2009). The later study in 1977, and another conducted in 1979 by Harvard medical school produced participants with symptoms at a much lower rate of 3-7% in 1977, and even lower in the 1979 study. These later studies did not share the same spotlight as the first Harvard medical study, but did show that the initial studied was flawed base on how the questions asked let to erroneous results 2. The Chinese Restaurant Syndrome is the name coined in late 1968 to characterize a myriad of symptoms experienced from those whom consumed Chinese food. These symptoms included but were not limited to a burning sensation on the back of the neck, forearms and chest, vomiting, headache, chest pain, and nausea. No one reported any deaths among the multiple symptoms and cases reported. Published case reports suggest that there is a correlation between CRS and the consumption of MSG. However, clinical challenge studies provide contradictory results (Taliaferro, P. J., 1995). 3. MSG has been used as a food additive for decades (Zeratsky, K., 2009). While the use of MSG, as a safe food additive existed for decades prior to CRS, the FDA approval of MSG as a safe food additive had only been in effect for ten years. In 1958, the U.S Food and Drug Administration designated glutamate as a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) ingredient, along with many other common food ingredients such as salt vinegar and baking powder (MSG Safety Fact., 2009). While some may question some of the regulation practices of the Food and Drug Administration, MSG is one of the most studied food additives in the world. In addition to the FDA, a number of international scientific, medical, and regulatory organizations have reviewed the scientific research on MSG safety and have found MSG to be safe. Some of these organizations include: the American Medical Association (AMA), the United Nations' FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Communities (MSGinfo.com., 2011).
3. VISUAL AID (attached) a. This visual aid supports the main points of my presentation by providing a quick easy to read reference about MSG and L-Glutamate the source of MSG facts. The visual aid is constructed in a way to highlight the safety of MSG and what it is. Point # 1 – Early testing had flaws; this pointed is supported by the “cards” stating: Several tests since the 1960’s have failed to show the connection between MSG and adverse health using conventional methods and realistic exposure to MSG. b. Point # 2 – No connection between CSR Chinese Restaurant Syndrome and MSG is supported by the “cards’ Over 40 years of extensive research by every major food governing body in the world, ALL have found MSG to be safe, as well as the “cards” supporting Point # 1; Several tests since the 1960’s have failed to show the connection between MSG and adverse health using conventional methods and realistic exposure to MSG. c. Point # 3 – MSG a safe food additive is supported by the “cards” MSG is derived from the amino acid L-Glutamate; which is found in proteins. We consume 10 – 20 Grams of glutamate from our diet which less than 10% comes from MSG. The body treats Glutamate the same whether it comes from the food we eat or from items seasoned with MSG. The Pie chart “card” shows the natural sources of Glutamate that most people consume daily. d. The most vital point that I wanted the visual aid to convey quickly is the fact the MSG is safe. While the research paper and presentation have, and will do a great job of conveying this truth, for some audience they are able to interpret and retain better visually. My Goal to provide that visual aid that enhanced the presentation and paper while also filling any gaps; I believe is accomplished. 4. OUTLINE CONCLUSION SUMMARIZE THE MAIN POINTS The use of MSG attracted much attention in the late 60s' due to reports that it cause a condition known as the “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”, which included various symptoms from headache, heart palpitations, nausea, and numbness of upper torso to name a few. At first glance, initial studies confirmed this to be true, MSG was indeed the cause of CRS. It is common for initial testing to contain flaws. The flaws detected within the initial studies of MSG and the connection to CRS caused the initial conclusions to be invalid. The connection between MSG and CRS exist only within those making the claims of experiencing symptoms, in the minds of the uneducated public and those who reproduced results to show a connection. The tests that were able to reproduce symptoms were only able to do so outside parameters that would be normal human consumption. The constant testing and studies of the effects of using MSG were unable to reproduce the connection between CRS and MSG. 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 the world health b placed it in the safest category for food additives (Jinap, S., Hajeb, P., 2010). The FDA also approved MSG as safe in 1958 ten years before any reported cases of CRS. Every major food governing body has cleared MSG as safe, and ok for use as a food additive. With worldwide acceptance, MSG use in millions of food products throughout the world is common practice, because it enhances flavor and has the ability to improve healthy eating habits, by reducing the use of sodium, and fat. MSG is safe. Over 80 years of use and over 40 years of research on the potential health effects have validated this fact. What was thought to be a smoking gun as to the cause of CRS, has been proven to be just smoke, no fire. With worldwide food governing body acceptance, MSG containing products are in every supermarket across the country and used safely in millions of food products. Monosodium Glutamate is safe and has been since its first use. The time, money, and resource dedicated to proving this fact have been successful. Now it is time allocated resources to make sure the public understands this fact to be true. MSG is safe.
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1. 3 EFFECTIVE POTENTIAL QUESTIONS Q. Where does MSG come from? A. MSG is the Sodium Salt of an Amino Acid L-Glutamine; which is found abundantly in protein. Q. Why do companies advertise “MSG FREE” if it is proven to be safe? A. While this is a great question; its answer is based more on lack of education and public opinion than the facts about MSG. Companies understand the perception of many in regards to MSG and tend to either hide the fact that item contains MSG or remove it all together. In our the society we live in public opinion is often the determining factor, and if your products success or failure lies in that opinion many companies choose to cater to it than to fight it through adequate education on an ingredient such as MSG Q. What are some sites to gain more education on MSG? A. Many of the sites that I found helpful in my research of this topic were FDA.gov. MSGFACTS.com, Glutamate.org

References
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