#AskHealth: Is MSG really bad for your health?

MSG is actually a natural substance and the only reason the FDA investigated it was because people were thinking it was causing headaches. I have eaten food with MSG such as some of those noodle cups from asian stores. I didn't feel any headache. I guess if you eat more than usual then it will have some bad effects on you.  

I believe it's safe. The history of concerns about it's effects is mentioned in Wikipedia:

The "MSG symptom complex" was originally termed the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" when Robert Ho Man Kwok anecdotally reported the symptoms he felt after an American-Chinese meal. Kwok suggested multiple reasons behind the symptoms, including alcohol from cooking with wine, the sodium content, or the MSG seasoning. But MSG became the focus and the symptoms have been associated with MSG ever since. The effect of wine or salt content was never studied.

The only issue with MSG is the S-sodium. One must watch it because you don't get the overloaded salty taste from it, so it can sneak way too much sodium into a diet that is supposed to be lower in sodium.

The FDA states there is no evidence that MSG is a super villain contributing to long-term health problems. However, they acknowledge that some people may have short-term reactions, including headaches, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, and numbness or tingling around the mouth in response, which hardly seems like a good time, either.

MSG is one of the best food discoveries... it makes my food yummy! :)