Parents of Schoolgoers  Discussion Forum

Name: Rachel

Researchers at Hirosaki University in Japan suggest that the common food flavor enhancer E621--also known as monosodium glutamate (MSG)--could make you blind.

Often used by food processors and restaurants, MSG has become controversial in the past 30 years because of reports of adverse reactions in people who have eaten foods containing it.

But according to lead researcher Hiroshi Ohguro, PhD, this is the first study to show that eating foods that contain MSG can cause eye damage and possibly blindness.

Ohguro readily acknowledges that researchers used unusually large amounts of MSG in the study. But, he says, lower dietary intakes \";could produce the same effects in humans over several decades, and the precise borderline amount is still unknown.\";

The Japanese study was published in the September 2002 issue of Experimental Eye Research.

Few people know that MSG is added to many infant formulas. Soy-based infant formulas in particular are loaded with MSG, as is Chinese food.

And reading processed food labels may be misleading because MSG can masquerade as numerous compounds such as sodium caseinate, gelatin, yeast extract, textured protein, hydrolyzed protein and glutamate.

Unexpected sources of MSG include salad dressings, cheeses, cookies, frozen meals, candy, packaged and restaurant soups, chewing gum, cigarettes, powdered milk, whey or soy protein, seasonings and flavorings.

The safest way to avoid MSG is to stick to whole, unprocessed foods--those that don't come in a can or other packaging.

So next time you eat Chinese food ask for MSG or Ajinomoto free food

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