MSG And High Blood Pressure - Are They Related?

MSG and high blood pressure - are they related. Moreover, is it safe to eat MSG or could MSG actually be causing your blood pressure to rise?

MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. Basically, it is a compound that includes sodium. Does this mean that, like salt (sodium chloride), it could increase your sodium levels and then lead to high blood pressure? It sounds logical doesn't it?

Well, there are at least two studies that show that MSG is indeed linked to high blood pressure. You can see them here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21372742

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19438927

Though that mind sound conclusive, consider that two studies is not very many at all. Much more research needs to be done to determine the clinical effects.

MSG has also been implicated in many other health conditions too.

But the truth is far from clear on MSG. Foods that contain MSG tend to contain a lot of salt too so it is hard to separate the two. Probably you do not have to get rid of it from your diet completely if you want to lower your blood pressure naturally. It is better to concentrate on basic salt levels and avoid things like processed or ready-made foods which tend to be rich in both.

Also, the effects of MSG, if any, are likely to be much less than for salt. MSG contains around one-third of the sodium that salt does. Probably the bad health effects of MSG in relation to high blood pressure are exaggerated. That said, it is thought by many to have a broader range of negative health implications compared to salt.

It is a myth that MSG can be found mainly in Chinese food. You will find that it is used abundantly in Western processed food too. MSG is hidden in many things without being explicitly labelled. For example, it is definitely in your food if you see any of the following ingredients on the label: hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, texture protein, sodium caseinate.

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