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From: ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: MSG
Message-ID: <4997@alice.uUCp>
Date: Wed, 19-Feb-86 01:23:21 EST
Article-I.D.: alice.4997
Posted: Wed Feb 19 01:23:21 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Feb-86 00:06:52 EST
References: <1347@ihuxn.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 29

>> In articles I have read, the percentage of the general public which reacts
>> adversely to MSG is under ten percent.
>> 
>> Steve Stricklen
>
>   Is it really that high?  You would think that the government (or the big,
> bad, government, if you'd prefer) would step in and do something (from
> requiring informing the customers to even banning MSG) if the affected
> percentage was anywhere near ten, or even as high a couple of percent.
> 
> H. Reza Taheri

I read a long article in Science magazine several years ago about MSG.
Very briefly:

	Almost everyone will develop symptoms after ingesting enough MSG.

	Almost no one is harmed by it, aside from the
	discomfort associated with the symptoms.

	In all the cases they examined, there was only one case of
	demonstrable harm -- they found an epileptic in whom MSG
	would induce seizures.  On the other hand, they found another
	epileptic in whom MSG would prevent seizures.

	MSG has been in wide-spread use for a century or so.
	There is no evidence of long-term ill effects.

Of course, there may be new evidence since then.