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We often get questions about yeast: Does it contain monosodium glutamate?

Although yeast ingredients are popularly used to replace the flavor enhancer called monosodium glutamate (MSG), yeast does not contain any MSG. But don’t stop reading yet!

Yeast DOES contain the same toxic amino acid that’s found in MSG — excitotoxic glutamic acid. That’s why Big Food loves yeast so much. They can add as much of this noxious flavor enhancer as they want and not be required to mention MSG on the label despite what these two additives have in common.

A recent yeast industry (yes, there’s a yeast industry) market report tells some of the secrets of why it’s so popular.

“By product type, the global yeast ingredients market can be categorized into yeast extract, yeast autolysates, dry yeast, yeast flavor, and ‘others’. The yeast extracts market is high, as yeast extracts act as a replacement for monosodium glutamate, and consumers highly inclined towards natural ingredients and health concerns. Yeast extracts also offer a unique aromatic taste, which is important in low-salt-content foodstuffs…” Zenit News: “Yeast and yeast ingredients market 2020 research reports, industry size, in-depth qualitative insights, explosive growth opportunity, regional analysis by 360 market updates”

The basics

To understand the toxicity of yeast extract, you have first to understand the basics of toxic glutamate found in food.

Glutamate must be free to be harmful, meaning it can’t exist as part of a protein. And toxic free glutamate found in food will always have been manufactured.

You can make/produce free glutamate (glutamate outside of protein) using carefully selected genetically modified bacteria. Feed the bacteria on some starchy stuff like sugar, and they secrete glutamate through their cell walls. That’s pretty much how the glutamate in MSG is made in Ajinomoto’s plant in Eddyville Iowa.

You can also free glutamate from protein. Begin with something that contains protein — almost any meat, grain, diary product, fruit or vegetable will contain at least some small amount of glutamate. Then, choose your method: 1) extract glutamate from protein, 2) use hydrolysis, autolysis, enzymes, acids or fermentation to break protein into individual amino acids (which would include glutamate), or apply high heat to protein.

All glutamate made/produced by man plus that which has been fermented contains D-glutamate, pyroglutamate and other unwanted by-products of manufacture (impurities which industry has been unable to remove) as well as the desired L-glutamate. In contrast, the glutamate in unadulterated fruits, grains, vegetables, and in the human body, which wouldn’t be manufactured, is L-glutamate only.

To be toxic, free glutamate has to 1) be present in excess – more than the healthy body needs for normal body function, or 2) act as a neurotransmitter, overstimulating and damaging glutamate receptors for some weak area in an individual’s body, the heart, lungs, or stomach for example.

Yeast extract contains toxic free glutamate

Yeast extract contributes to accumulation of toxic free glutamate in two ways. First, yeast extract itself will contain toxic free glutamate. Moreover, yeast and yeast extract can also interact with other ingredients, causing the protein in those other ingredients to break down and release glutamate.

The way that the yeast extract is produced will vary from one manufacturer to another, but all break the protein found in yeast into free amino acids – one of which will be glutamate. Following are various descriptions of how that’s done:

1: Food Navigator-asia.com: https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2019/09/25/Clean-label-less-sodium-and-vegan-Yeast-extract-specialist-company-Angel-Yeast-names-three-mega-trends-driving-the-industry#

“Angel Yeast’s yeast extract products are obtained from molasses-cultured yeast, which are autolyzed to obtain the extract and made into pastes or powders.”

2: European Association for Specialty Yeast Products:
http://www.yeastextract.info/yeast-extract/how-it-s-made

“Yeast extract is … made from natural bakers’ or brewers’ yeast. First sugar is added so that the yeast can multiply. Then enzymes in the yeast break down the proteins present in the yeast into smaller components and make the cell walls permeable. Finally the components present in the yeast cell – the yeast extract – are separated from the surrounding wall and dried.”

3: Biospringer: https://biospringer.com/en/explore-yeast-extract/yeast-extract/production-process/

“Yeast is a microscopic unicellular fungus that has been living on Earth for millions of years. Like any other cell, yeast is made of proteins, amino acids, vitamins and minerals gathered within the cell walls.”

“Yeast extract is simply the yeast content without the cell wall, making it a natural origin ingredient. Its production consists of 3 main steps:

Fermentation
Breaking of the yeast cell (also known as autolysis)
Separation”

4: By Elea Carey for Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/is-yeast-extract-bad-for-me#1

“There are two kinds of yeast extract, autolyzed and hydrolyzed. In both, the cell walls are discarded and the contents of the cell are combined. In autolyzed yeast, the enzymes found in the yeast itself are used to break down the proteins. In hydrolyzed yeast, these enzymes are added to the yeast.”

Does yeast extract contain enough free glutamate to cause brain damage or adverse reactions?

If yeast extract was the only source of free glutamate ingested, toxicity would depend on the amount of free glutamate in the particular product ingested, and the sensitivity of the person ingesting it. There are glutamate-sensitive people who react to yeast extract.

But in real life one helping of yeast extract isn’t going to be ingested in isolation. Combined with other sources of glutamate in the diet, yeast extract increases the likelihood of brain damage and adverse reactions.


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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There’s no such thing as ‘natural’ MSG

The FDA is fond of saying that there are “naturally high levels” of MSG in some foods, notably tomatoes and processed tomato products. That’s simply not true. MSG is manufactured. There’s no such thing as “natural” MSG.

This is a picture of the plant in Eddyville Iowa where Ajinomoto manufactures monosodium glutamate (MSG). What do you think Ajinomoto had to do to get the FDA to parrot its fiction that “MSG is naturally occurring?”

If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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Dietitians who front for the glutamate industry want you to believe there’s ‘no scientific evidence that MSG is bad for you’

It appears that the never-ending stream of “MSG is safe” propaganda has been infused with new blood. Please welcome Elena Bruess, who joins the ranks of the glutamate-industry army with her piece “Dietitians say there is no scientific evidence that MSG is bad for you and is actually found in everything from tomatoes to instant noodles.”

You’ll find Bruess’ article below, edited to adhere more closely to the truth then as it was written. Edits from the Truth in Labeling Campaign are in red. We’ve also used strike-throughs for some of the more blatantly false statements from Bruess.

Elena Bruess
2020-10-16
MEDICALLY REVIEWED
Our stories are reviewed by medical professionals to ensure you get the most industry-friendly accurate and useful information about your health and wellness MSG.

  • MSG is a common food additive that is generally considered safe by the FDA.
  • There is no strong evidence, as defined by the glutamate industry, that links MSG to health risks, and despite some controversy, experts working for the glutamate industry say that worries about MSG are misplaced.
  • Though rare, Some people may have a sensitivity to MSG, which can lead to headaches or nausea or any of the other reactions listed in the following table after consumption (https://www.truthinlabeling.org/adverse.html). Also caused by MSG are brain damage, obesity, reproductive disorders, and behavior disorders, but they aren’t called sensitivities.
  • This article was medically reviewed by Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, nutrition and wellness expert with a private practice based in New York City.

MSG is a flavor enhancer commonly associated with Chinese takeout food, but it’s also found in some canned goods and processed meats. Once thought to cause adverse side effects like headache and nausea, MSG has become a controversial additive. But, the science handed out by glutamate-industry agents says it’s not all that bad.

Here’s what the people who manufacture and sell MSG should say you need to know about MSG and its effects on your health.

What is MSG?

Monosodium glutamate, otherwise known as MSG, is not derived from a naturally occurring amino acid in our bodies. It is composed of the amino acid called “L-glutamic acid,” moisture, sodium, and unwanted by-products of L-glutamic acid’s manufacture. Amino acids are organic compounds that are essential for bodily functions. However, some amino acids, including neurotransmitter L-glutamic acid (L-glutamic acid when it’s a neurotransmitter) when present in quantity greater than needed for essential bodily functions, become toxic, firing repeatedly until the cells they are targeting are overwhelmed and die.

The substance is also not naturally present in most any foods., such as: It is manufactured in plants throughout the world. In the US, it is produced in Ajinomoto’s factory in Eddyville, Iowa. MSG is not naturally present in cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, or seaweed.

  • Cheese
  • Tomatoes
  • Mushrooms
  • Seaweed

However, MSG is most commonly known as a popular food additive that has an extra savory, umami flavor, or as a flavor-enhancer with no taste of its own. It is produced by fermenting starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses. using carefully selected genetically modified bacteria that feed on starch or sugar and produce the glutamic acid used in MSG through their cell walls.

Some of the products that may contain MSG as an additive include:

  • Cured meats
  • Seasoning blends and bouillon cubes
  • Frozen meals
  • Cookies and crackers
  • Salad dressings
  • Mayonnaise

“It really can be in any packaged or processed food,” says Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD, a registered and licensed dietitian at Mayo Clinic. The FDA labels all products with the additive MSG, but does not label products that have naturally occurring MSG because there is no such thing as “naturally occurring MSG.” All MSG is manufactured.

No, According to glutamate-industry agents, MSG is not bad for you

In 1968, a physician sent a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine. In it, he described symptoms like nausea and chest pressure that he claimed came from the Chinese food he ate in a restaurant serving Chinese food. He believed suggested that MSG among other things was might be to blame.

This single incident — along with 1968 also saw the first studies of MSG-induced brain damage, studies subsequent MSG study on of mice, primates, and various other animals that found suffered brain damage after being administeringed extremely high doses of MSG. that were non-reflective of human intake — Industry focused on the Letter to the Editor to draw attention away from the studies that demonstrated brain damage. The letter combined with the studies of MSG-induced brain damage led to the popular idea that ingesting MSG would result in adverse health effects. Due to the original letter, this became known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.”

Regardless, However, contrary to popular belief, according to glutamate-industry propaganda, MSG is not bad for most people.

While there have indeed been some studies that hint at possible negative effects, such as obesity or nerve damage, glutamate industry agents maintain that worries about MSG are misplaced. The majority of Their evidence appears to be based on the falsehood that there are no studies that have found that man-made MSG is metabolized identically to its naturally occurring counterpart. Even if there were such studies, which there are not, their results would be irrelevant to the safety of MSG. Illustrating the deceptive practices use by glutamate industry agents, note that the link given in this paper is not even to a study. To repeat, if there were studies of glutamate metabolism, no matter what their outcomes, they would be irrelevant to the question of and poses no health risk.

MSG was grandfathered GRAS in 1958 based on its previous use. It has never been tested for safety. But even had it been tested before being grandfathered, in 1957 the method used for producing MSG changed from extraction of glutamate to bacterial fermentation of glutamate wherein glutamate is secreted through the cell walls of genetically modified bacteria. And as is true of glutamate produced prior to 1957, the glutamate produced using the post-1957 procedure has never been tested for safety. In fact, the FDA even placed the substance on the GRAS list, short for “generally recognized as safe.” That was just one of the many things the FDA has done when asked to do so by Ajinomoto.

“Throughout the literature, there really isn’t firm evidence in any way that MSG is unhealthful,” says Soo-Yeun Lee, PhD, a food scientist, and professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The fact that Dr. Lee said it doesn’t mean it’s true. In 1957 studies of MSG-induced retinal toxicity were first published by Lucas and Newhouse, with studies of MSG-induced brain damage following. In addition to studies that demonstrate MSG’s toxicity, are the industry studies that have been rigged to enable researchers to conclude that they found MSG to be harmless. Rigging a human double-blind study would often include using an excitotoxic amino acid like aspartic acid (found in aspartame) in placebos. Aspartame causes adverse reactions identical to those caused by MSG.

Lee conducts research on flavor and taste, including a more recent focus on MSG as a salt substitute. With one third the amount of sodium as table salt, she says MSG can reduce sodium content in snack food.

Most people consume twice as much salt as they should, and lowering this salt intake can reduce high blood pressure and accompanying risks, such as stroke or heart disease.

Some people may be sensitive to MSG

However, just like any food, a small percentage of people may have a short-term negative reaction to MSG. But given the fact that “anecdotal” reports of serious and life-threatening reactions abound, and sales of MSG are no longer robust, it would appear that considerable numbers of people may have long-lasting debilitating reactions. Though it’s important to note that MSG could be mixed with other additives or processed ingredients, Zeratsky says, so it may not always be what’s causing the issue.

For those who may be sensitive to MSG, some symptoms are short-term and often mild. They may include:

  • Headaches
  • Nausea
  • Flushing or sweating
  • Facial pressure, numbness
  • Rapid heartbeats
  • Chest pain

The full list of reactions which includes fibromyalgia, shortness of breath, atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, seizures and more can be found here: https://www.truthinlabeling.org/adverse.html.

If you experience these symptoms and think MSG is to blame, the best option is to begin avoiding food containing the ingredient. For those who feel their symptoms are more severe, consult your doctor.

The bottom line

While some may have a negative reaction, MSG is considered said by its manufacturers to be safe for the majority of people to consume. Overall, MSG is a useful, profit-making, savory enhancer with few health risks according to those who stand to gain by its sale. There’s not much controversy here, just a whole lot of flavor. toxic deception.


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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No, Ashley Urtecho, you won’t find MSG in tomatoes, meat or cheese

“MSG is safe” propaganda shows up in all kinds of places, but it’s of most value to those who make millions pandering poisons for profit when it has a medical ring to it.

Today it was a blog sponsored by “NYC Pain Specialists,” authored by intern Ashley Urtecho titled “Is It Safe to consume MSG?” that caught our eye.

In a short two pages, Ms. Urtecho spews out more than a half dozen deceptive, misleading and downright false statements about MSG. But our favorite (which is an out-and-out lie), is the one Ms. Urtecho starts out with, “Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a popular flavor additive primarily found in Chinese cuisine, but can also be found in tomatoes, meats, and certain cheeses.”

We’ve said it before, and looks like we’ll be saying it again and again:

  • MSG is manufactured.
  • MSG is man-made in food processing or chemical plants.
  • In the U.S. MSG is manufactured in a plant in Eddyville Iowa.
  • There is no MSG (glutamate yes, but not MSG) in tomatoes, meats, or any cheeses – unless the manufacturer has added it.


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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Don’t be conned by this MISinformation

Here are some links to the ultimate in misinformation about monosodium glutamate, glutamate, and umami. Be sure to take note of what organizations are publishing these pages.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)


U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): “Questions and Answers on MSG”
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/questions-and-answers-monosodium-glutamate-msg

National Institutes of Health: “The Safety Evaluation of Monosodium Glutamate”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10736380
NOTE: This article is in no way related to the National Institutes of Health. It was written by two glutamate-industry agents.

European Food Information Council: “Facts on MSG”
https://www.eufic.org/en/food-today/article/the-facts-on-monosodium-glutamate

International Food Information Council (IFIC): “Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): From A to Umami”
https://foodinsight.org/monosodium-glutamate-msg-from-a-to-umami

IFIC: “Glutamate and Monosodium Glutamate: Examining the Myths”
https://foodinsight.org/2017-food-and-health-survey-a-healthy-perspective-understanding-american-food-values-2
NOTE: The title of the article does not correspond to the link given. MSGdish has given us a bad link.

MSGfacts.com
https://msgfacts.com

MSGdish YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/MSGdishes

MSGdish.com Vlogs
https://msgdish.com/category/videos/

8 Tips for Using MSG in Cooking and in Recipes
https://msgdish.com/msgincookingandrecipes/

Glutamate


International Glutamate Information Service (IGIS)
https://glutamate.org

Glutamate.com and the “MSG Reaction Challenge”
https://glutamate.com

Umami


Umami Information Center (UIC)
https://www.umamiinfo.com/

Wikipedia on Umami
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami

International Food Information Council (IFIC): “The Fifth Taste: Discovering Umami”
https://foodinsight.org/2017-food-and-health-survey-a-healthy-perspective-understanding-american-food-values-2
NOTE: MSGdish has given us another bad link.

Segment on The Today Show about Umami
https://www.today.com/food/recipes-fifth-taste-umami-1D80356635

MSGinfo.com: “Umami – The 5th Taste”
http://www.msginfo.com/about_taste_umami.asp

Chefs Explain Umami, That Fifth Taste We Can’t Get Enough Of
https://msgdish.com/chefs-explain-umami-taste/


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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What does wine have in common with MSG?

Fermentation, according to wine aficionados, is “the magic at play in the making of wine.” Must (freshly cut fruit juice with skin and seeds) or juice will start fermenting on its own in half a day helped along with wild yeast. Winemakers, however, are very choosy about the strains of yeast used to produce any particular type of wine, and wine fermentation is an art – a “welcome phenomenon” helped along by vintners with skill and expertise.

MSG, on the other hand, is made using genetically modified bacteria that excrete glutamate through their cell walls. It’s been made that way by Ajinomoto since 1957.

No thinking person (and certainly no wine lover), would dare to compare the two. The FDA, however, is quite willing to put the yeast used in creating a carefully tended merlot or pinot noir in the same class as carefully selected genetically modified bacteria that excrete glutamic acid from their cell membranes. According to the FDA, “…MSG is produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses. This fermentation process is similar to that used to make yogurt, vinegar and wine.”


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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Being the number one producer of MSG didn’t just happen

Ask successful business people and they’ll tell you that while it’s great to have a decent product, it’s really the marketing that counts. And there’s no better marketing tool than having the FDA follow your script, broadcast the virtues of your product, and ignore all data that say your product kills brain cells. Brain cells that if not obliterated would have regulated appetite (preventing obesity) and reproduction function (preventing infertility).

References:

Industry’s FDA: https://www.truthinlabeling.org/fda.html

Samuels, A. (2020). Dose dependent toxicity of glutamic acid: A review: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2020.1733016

Olney, J.W. (1969). Brain lesions, obesity, and other disturbances in mice treated with monosodium glutamate. Science 164: 719-721.


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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Does changing the name remove the poison?

A change in the approach to glutamate industry propaganda suggests that their 10-million-dollar ad campaign isn’t reaping the profits they were looking for. People know that MSG is toxic and aren’t buying into their deceptive words.

From what we’ve been seeing, the Glutes are banking on a crafty name change — swapping the name MSG for something that will fool enough consumers to keep the profits from selling new-name MSG rolling in.

Any idea what that new name will be? We’re betting that they’re going to work their tails off to rename it umami. After all, they’ve been building that brand for a while now.


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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If it wasn’t harmful, it wouldn’t be hidden

There’s a really nice article detailing the history of MSG production in Worldkings — an Indian organization that notes significant achievements in a number of categories.

They featured Ajinomoto as one of the top 100 companies that have been in business over 100 years. But more than just a tip of the hat, Worldkings follows Ajinomoto from the day they introduced the original MSG into the market in 1909 through World War I, the opening of an office in New York, even noting that in April 1946 the company changed their name to Ajinomoto Co., Ltd. By 1950, the article says, exports from Japan accounted for 95% of the company’s revenue, with trade to Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States increasing in subsequent years.

Then we learn that in the 1970s, Ajinomoto diversified further, launching a flavored seasoning called “Hon-dashi” in 1970 and beginning production of frozen foods in 1972.

But wait! Big things happened between 1950 and 1970. In 1957 a new and brilliant method for producing the glutamic acid used in MSG was introduced — a method that soon would be used world-wide for manufacture of amino acids. Brilliant science! Amazing profits! So, why was this not mentioned?

Has it got something to do with the method itself? According to a 1996 article by Leung and Foster in the Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics (the only such article without Ajinomoto’s authorship or sponsorship), the glutamic acid in monosodium glutamate is generally made by microbial fermentation. In this method, bacteria are grown aerobically in a liquid nutrient medium. The bacteria have the ability to excrete glutamic acid they synthesize outside of their cell membrane into the liquid nutrient medium in which they are grown. The glutamic acid is then separated from the fermentation broth by filtration, concentration, acidification, and crystallization, and converted to its monosodium salt.

Official patents dealing with the manufacture of glutamic acid confirm that Ajinomoto’s monosodium glutamate is made by this process of bacterial fermentation wherein carefully selected genetically engineered bacteria that are fed on various carbohydrate media secrete glutamic acid through their cell walls.

In stark contrast, the FDA, The Glutamate Association, and all of Ajinomoto’s other “divisions” maintain that MSG is usually produced through a fermentation process similar to that used in making beer, vinegar and yogurt, with MSG production beginning with the fermentation of corn, sugar beets or sugar cane.

Could there be concern that hearing about use of bacteria, particularly GMO bacteria, might turn people off?

Maybe they’re worried that discussing the way in which MSG is manufactured would suggest that there’s nothing “natural” about it.

Perhaps there’s fear it will leak out that unavoidable by-products (impurities) are produced when L-glutamic acid (the flavor-enhancing constituent of glutamic acid) and MSG are manufactured. D-glutamic acid and pyroglutamic acid are two powerful neurotoxins that would certainly attract the attention of toxicologists. (In all of their writings about the safety of MSG, Ajinomoto has never acknowledged the existence of impurities. That stands to reason because truly natural products wouldn’t have impurities.)

Possibly more important, however, would be hiding the fact that with virtually unlimited production of MSG it could become available in such quantities that the glutamate in MSG would become excitotoxic – capable of killing brain cells. And with the change in glutamic acid’s production method, that’s exactly what happened. There is now sufficient glutamic acid in food to become excitotoxic for anyone consuming more than one glutamate-containing product during the course of a day. Not hard to do considering the vast amounts of cheap processed and ultra-processed foods available.

Other important and unmentioned things happened between 1950 and 1970:

  • In 1968, Dr. Ho Man Kwok wrote to the New England Journal of Medicine describing a set of reactions following MSG ingestion, that were eventually dubbed “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.”
  • In 1969 Dr. John Olney observed that free glutamic acid and MSG administered to infant mice caused brain lesions in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, and that brain damage was followed by obesity, behavior disorders, reproductive dysfunction and a variety of other neuro-endocrine disorders.
  • The term “excitotoxin” was coined to stand for an amino acid (like glutamic acid) that serves a necessary function when present in controlled amounts, but kills brain cells when quantities greater than required for normal body function become available.

The adage “If it wasn’t harmful, it wouldn’t be hidden” seems to apply perfectly here.


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.

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If MfG wasn’t harmful, it wouldn’t be hidden in drugs

When MSG and other sources of toxic manufactured free glutamic acid (MfG) are used in pharmaceuticals as excipients (a.k.a. “inactive” ingredients), manufacturers are not required to share that information with the public. This past June the Truth in Labeling Campaign reviewed the excipients found in vaccines with some frightening findings. The MfG we found hidden there will also be found throughout the realm of pharmaceuticals, both OTC and Rx ones.

The following excerpt from the recently posted article “What’s in your medicine may surprise you – a call for greater transparency about inactive ingredients,” published by conversation.com will give you an idea of what consumers are up against.

Product labeling for ‘inactive’ ingredients

“As the so-called ‘inactive’ ingredients in medicines, excipients are often mistaken as being free from potential harm. But the evidence suggests otherwise. Between 2015 to 2019, health-care professionals, patients, and manufacturers filed nearly 2,500 reports to the FDA about an adverse reaction to an excipient.

“While excipients are listed on packaging or package insert for over-the-counter and prescription drugs, this information can be difficult to find. Furthermore, patients often switch from brand name to generic versions, or the pharmacist substitutes one manufacturer for another. While the active pharmaceutical ingredient remains the same, excipients may be different, and even seemingly slight differences can significantly impact patient safety. For example, a patient may be allergic to an excipient in the newly refilled medicine with a different manufacturer.

“Excipients are critical materials and serve a broad variety of functions. They serve as fillers, help the body to absorb the medicine, and add flavor or color to drugs. In fact, some are often found in food products, such as lactose, peanut oil, and starch. In the United States, excipients are approved by the FDA as part of the review process for the finished medicine; they are considered by the regulatory agency as generally recognized as safe or ‘GRAS.’ However, a complete picture of their clinical effect remains unclear.

“Research from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital has found that 92.8% of oral medicines contain at least one potential allergen, a concern for individuals with known sensitivities and intolerances. My recent research, investigating the safety of excipients in biologics, which are large complex molecules that are mostly administered through an injection, found case reports of injection site reaction, severe allergic reaction, spike in blood sugar level, and acute kidney failure associated with these ‘inactive’ ingredients.

“Despite some evidence that excipients are responsible for drug reactions, the amount of each excipient added to each drug is not reported for nearly half of biological medicines. In fact, our study found that 44.4% of the biologics’ labels do not list the concentration of the most commonly occurring excipients. This is true for all prescription medicines, not only biologics.

“This lack of information has important implications for patients with diseases prompting dietary restrictions – such as gluten or lactose intolerance, food allergies, or diabetes – because the amount of wheat starch, lactose, peanut oil, and glucose in their medicine can be potentially harmful.”

Knowledge is power. With the FDA working for both Big Food and Big Pharma, knowledge is your greatest asset.


If you have questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. If you have hints for others on how to avoid exposure to MfG, send them along, too, and we’ll put them up on Facebook. Or you can reach us at questionsaboutmsg@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @truthlabeling.