Presentation
The glutamate in MSG is chemically indistinguishable from glutamate present in food proteins. Our bodies ultimately metabolize both sources of glutamate in the same way. [fda.gov]
MSG is most often confused as a preservative, however, it is actually a salt that rounds and balances the flavors already present in food. [tripsavvy.com]
Glutamate is naturally present in most foods, such as meat, seafood and vegetables. Two kinds of nucleotides that contribute most to the umami taste, inosinate and guanylate, are also present in many foods. [umamiinfo.com]
[…] when it is not, or that implies an ingredient is not present when it is present. [inspection.gc.ca]
Entire Body System
- Pain
Chinese restaurant syndrome - chest pain, facial pressure, and burning sensation that develops after persons sensitive to monosodium glutamate ingest this food additive. Synonym(s): Kwok quease [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
National Library of Medicine, many people report symptoms that include chest pain, flushing, headaches, sweating, and numbness around the mouth. In rare cases, these symptoms even include shortness of the breath, chest pains, and heart palpitations. [thescientificstudent.com]
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Full blown head pain that lasted 24 hours..... I woke up at 3am with pain in my head. My partner also had head pain at the same time. I was confused as to why we both had such strange symptoms. [tripadvisor.com]
Calling your health care provider If you experience any symptoms such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, or swelling of the lips or throat, go to the nearest emergency room immediately. [coordinatedhealth.com]
- Swelling
Symptoms Chest pain Flushing Headache Numbness or burning in or around the mouth Sense of facial pressure or swelling Sweating Exams and Tests Chinese restaurant syndrome is usually diagnosed based on the symptoms. [medicalgeek.com]
Symptoms Symptoms include: Chest pain Flushing Headache Numbness or burning in or around the mouth Sense of facial pressure or swelling Sweating Exams and Tests Chinese restaurant syndrome is most often diagnosed based on the symptoms. [ufhealth.org]
Calling your health care provider If you experience any symptoms such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, or swelling of the lips or throat, go to the nearest emergency room immediately. [coordinatedhealth.com]
- Fatigue
It also causes headache, fatigue, sweating, chest pain, and difficulty in breathing. This usually happens two hours after eating. [atimes.com]
Common symptoms include headaches, sweating, skin flushing, numbness, burning in the mouth and fatigue. The celebrity chef went on to discuss his latest book, Historic Heston. [dailymail.co.uk]
[…] etiology that apparently originated in mainland China in 2003; characterized by fever and coughing or difficulty breathing or hypoxia; can be fatal Lambert-Eaton syndrome a disease seen in patients with lung cancer and characterized by weakness and fatigue [vocabulary.com]
Some of the more common symptoms associated with salicylate sensitivities include unexplained rashes, headaches, digestive symptoms of all kinds, depression, hyperactivity, persistent cough, and chronic fatigue. [pharmacistben.com]
- Fever
[…] premenstrual syndrome a syndrome that occurs in many women from 2 to 14 days before the onset of menstruation severe acute respiratory syndrome a respiratory disease of unknown etiology that apparently originated in mainland China in 2003; characterized by fever [vocabulary.com]
Browse recently published Learning/CME Learning/CME View all learning/CME CME Bag-Mask Ventilation during Tracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Adults Case 7-2019: A 73-Year-Old Woman with Swelling of the Right Groin and Fever A Randomized Trial of Lymphadenectomy [doi.org]
Haug Browse recently published Learning/CME Learning/CME View all learning/CME CME Case 3-2019: A 70-Year-Old Woman with Fever, Headache, and Progressive Encephalopathy Caplacizumab Treatment for Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Randomized [nejm.org]
- Unconsciousness
[…] the neuromuscular junctions cervical root syndrome an abnormal condition resulting from compression of spinal nerve roots in the neck region; involves neck pains and muscular weakness and paresthesia Stokes-Adams syndrome recurrent sudden attacks of unconsciousness [vocabulary.com]
Bystanders should administer CPR to a person who becomes unconscious and stops breathing or does not have a pulse. [emedicinehealth.com]
Gastrointestinal
- Nausea
Chinese restaurant syndrome Headache, nausea, a tight or burning sensation in the face, head and chest and sometimes dizziness and diarrhoea coming on one to two hours after a meal containing a large amount of MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Sufferers complain of symptoms including headaches, nausea, vomiting, arthritic pain, asthma attacks and heart palpitations. [articles.chicagotribune.com]
A substantial minority of people experience an array of symptoms after ingesting MSG including tightness over the scalp, tingling of extremities, flushing, chest pressure, palpitations, thirst, headache, nausea, abdominal discomfort and bladder urgency [westerdrug.com]
Some of the subjects reported weakness, warmth, tingling, nausea, headache, lightheadedness or gastric problems. But the frequency of these complaints was the same in the MSG and placebo groups. Most subjects reported no symptoms at all. [mcgill.ca]
Over the years, FDA has received reports of symptoms such as headache and nausea after eating foods containing MSG. However, we were never able to confirm that the MSG caused the reported effects. [fda.gov]
- Vomiting
Sufferers complain of symptoms including headaches, nausea, vomiting, arthritic pain, asthma attacks and heart palpitations. [articles.chicagotribune.com]
Symptoms of CRS can include: burning sensation on the back of the neck, chest, shoulders, abdomen, thighs, and forearms pressure, tightness, or numbness in the face chest pain nausea and vomiting headache sweating palpitations flushing wheezing Diagnosis [medicineonline.com]
On 17 August 1996 (in the southern hemisphere winter) several children and then adults among 100 customers in a chinese restaurant suddenly presented dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion and clumsiness. [ccforum.biomedcentral.com]
[…] stiffness or generalised weakness of limbs, light headedness, facial flushing, profuse sweating, heartburn, gastric discomfort and burning sensation (face, upper back, neck or arms), heart palpitations, anxiety, excessive urination, thirst, stomach ache, vomiting [indianexpress.com]
- Food Intolerance
If you have an unexplained inflammatory, immune or autoimmune condition, and especially if you have digestive symptoms, even though you “eat well”, you are at risk for a food intolerance. One of the more common food intolerances involves glutamates. [pharmacistben.com]
The rest have what is known as food intolerance, an undesirable reaction to a food that does not involve the immune system. It is easy to confuse food intolerance with food allergy because they can have similar symptoms. [emedicinehealth.com]
Researchers say that there is no such thing as MSG allergy and attribute the allergic reactions to food intolerance or food sensitivity. [buzzle.com]
John Leung and Sheila Crowe, Food Allergy and Food Intolerance, Nutritional Care of the Patient with Gastrointestinal Disease, 10.1201/b18748-5, (63-87), (2015). [doi.org]
- Abdominal Pain
Haug Browse recently published Learning/CME Learning/CME View all learning/CME CME Partial Oral versus Intravenous Antibiotic Treatment of Endocarditis Case 4-2019: An 18-Year-Old Man with Abdominal Pain and Hematochezia Bridging the Gap Challenge Yourself [nejm.org]
A sensitive individual may suffer from headache, giddiness, sweating, abdominal pain, and urticaria within a few hours of consumption of MSG. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Cardiovascular
- Palpitations
Definition of Chinese restaurant syndrome : a group of symptoms (such as numbness of the neck, arms, and back with headache, dizziness, and palpitations) that is held to affect susceptible persons eating food and especially Chinese food heavily seasoned [merriam-webster.com]
MSG allergy An abrupt allergic reaction, the susceptibility to which is AR, caused by sensitivity to monosodium glutamate–MSG, a seasoning used in Chinese restaurants and in soy sauce Clinical Abrupt onset of severe headaches, heartburn, numbness, palpitations [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
that is held to affect susceptible persons ... (24 of 52 words) www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chinese restaurant syndrome Oxford Dictionary: Chinese restaurant syndrome an illness marked by short attacks of weakness, numbness, palpitations, and [memidex.com]
Calling your health care provider If you experience any symptoms such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, or swelling of the lips or throat, go to the nearest emergency room immediately. [coordinatedhealth.com]
- Tachycardia
The range of symptoms described in these reports included numbness, headache, migraine, palpitations, tightness, weakness, aching, flushing, sweating, fasciculation, lacrimation, syncope, dizziness, shudder attacks, paresthesias, arrhythmias and tachycardia [academic.oup.com]
Skin
- Flushing
CONCLUSIONS: MSG has a widespread reputation for eliciting a variety of symptoms, ranging from headache to dry mouth to flushing. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
[…] glutamate–MSG, a seasoning used in Chinese restaurants and in soy sauce Clinical Abrupt onset of severe headaches, heartburn, numbness, palpitations, vertigo–especially with chronic MSG exposure, thirst, abdominal and chest pains/heartburn, sweating, and flushing [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Most, such as headache or flushing, need no treatment. Life-threatening symptoms require immediate medical attention. [coordinatedhealth.com]
- Sweating
[…] monosodium glutamate–MSG, a seasoning used in Chinese restaurants and in soy sauce Clinical Abrupt onset of severe headaches, heartburn, numbness, palpitations, vertigo–especially with chronic MSG exposure, thirst, abdominal and chest pains/heartburn, sweating [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome describes a group of symptoms that some people experience after eating food from a Chinese restaurant, such as sweating and chest pains. [dailymail.co.uk]
‘It is linked to headaches and something commonly known as ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome’, which includes faintness and sweating.’ [oxforddictionaries.com]
National Library of Medicine, many people report symptoms that include chest pain, flushing, headaches, sweating, and numbness around the mouth. In rare cases, these symptoms even include shortness of the breath, chest pains, and heart palpitations. [thescientificstudent.com]
- Urticaria
A sensitive individual may suffer from headache, giddiness, sweating, abdominal pain, and urticaria within a few hours of consumption of MSG. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
[…] taste a lot better The MSG Follow Up Research Forty years after that original letter, and in spite of years of trials, and clinical trials, it was finally put to rest that “so-called ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome’ and in eliciting asthmatic bronchospasm, urticaria [yourdoctorsorders.com]
The medical term for hives is urticaria. From Reviewed on 1/17/2019 Sources: Patient Comments & Reviews Food Allergy - Describe Your Experience Please describe your experience with food allergy. [emedicinehealth.com]
In addition to the MSG symptom complex, ingestion of MSG has been alleged to cause or exacerbate numerous conditions, including asthma, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, ventricular arrhythmia, neuropathy and abdominal discomfort. [academic.oup.com]
- Eczema
People with asthma, childhood allergies, eczema, or prior severe food allergies are especially at risk for having an anaphylactic reaction. MSG reaction can be mistaken for an allergic reaction. [emedicinehealth.com]
Neurologic
- Headache
Chinese restaurant syndrome Headache, nausea, a tight or burning sensation in the face, head and chest and sometimes dizziness and diarrhoea coming on one to two hours after a meal containing a large amount of MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Home About Donate Support Us Donation Headache What Is Headache Adults and Headache Children and Headache History of Headache Headache Types Headache Management Headache & Migraine Diaries Headache and Pain Clinics Personal Management Precipitating Factors [headacheaustralia.org.au]
Definition of Chinese restaurant syndrome : a group of symptoms (such as numbness of the neck, arms, and back with headache, dizziness, and palpitations) that is held to affect susceptible persons eating food and especially Chinese food heavily seasoned [merriam-webster.com]
CONCLUSIONS: MSG has a widespread reputation for eliciting a variety of symptoms, ranging from headache to dry mouth to flushing. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
[…] fermented bean paste, and cheese, and is also a component of hydrolyzed protein such as yeast ... (40 of 3283 words, 1 image) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic acid (flavor) Collins Dictionary: Chinese restaurant syndrome a group of symptoms such as dizziness, headache [memidex.com]
- Tingling
Chinese restaurant syndrome a group of transient symptoms consisting of tingling and burning sensations of the skin, facial pressure, headache, and chest pain that occur immediately after eating food containing monosodium glutamate, frequently used in [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Retrieved April 12th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/chinese-restaurant-syndrome Noun ( uncountable ) A syndrome associated with consumption of the westernized version of Chinese food, characterized by various symptoms such as burning and tingling [yourdictionary.com]
Chinese restaurant syndrome headache and tingling or burning feelings and sweating caused by eating food that contains monosodium glutamate Gilles de la Tourette syndrome neurological disorder characterized by facial grimaces and tics and movements of [vocabulary.com]
Their symptoms may include headache, throbbing of the head, dizziness, lightheadedness, a feeling of facial pressure, tightness of the jaw, burning or tingling sensations over parts of the body, chest pain, and back pain. [medicinenet.com]
- Dizziness
Definition of Chinese restaurant syndrome : a group of symptoms (such as numbness of the neck, arms, and back with headache, dizziness, and palpitations) that is held to affect susceptible persons eating food and especially Chinese food heavily seasoned [merriam-webster.com]
[…] sauce, fermented bean paste, and cheese, and is also a component of hydrolyzed protein such as yeast ... (40 of 3283 words, 1 image) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic acid (flavor) Collins Dictionary: Chinese restaurant syndrome a group of symptoms such as dizziness [memidex.com]
Chinese restaurant syndrome Headache, nausea, a tight or burning sensation in the face, head and chest and sometimes dizziness and diarrhoea coming on one to two hours after a meal containing a large amount of MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE. [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]
Definitions Chinese restaurant syndrome the dizziness, headache, etc. experienced by some people as a reaction to monosodium glutamate, often used to intensify the flavor of Chinese food Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright [yourdictionary.com]
English Word Lists Latest Word Submissions Easy Learning English Grammar COBUILD Grammar Patterns Word Lover's Blog Online Scrabble Checker The Paul Noble Method the dizziness, headache, etc. experienced by some people as a reaction to monosodium glutamate [collinsdictionary.com]
- Seizure
[…] light headedness, facial flushing, profuse sweating, heartburn, gastric discomfort and burning sensation (face, upper back, neck or arms), heart palpitations, anxiety, excessive urination, thirst, stomach ache, vomiting, attacks mimicking epileptic seizures [indianexpress.com]
[…] light-headedness, facial flushing, profuse sweating, heartburn, gastric discomfort and burning sensation (face, upper back, neck or arms), heart palpitations, anxiety, excessive urination, thirst, stomach-ache, vomiting, attacks mimicking epileptic seizures [dailypioneer.com]
It has been implicated in an astoundingly wide array of health problems, including Alzheimer’s, cancer, brain damage, heart disease, seizures, fertility problems, memory loss, stuttering, and others. [thechinesequest.com]
CrossRef Google Scholar Goodman, L.S., Swinyard, E.A., and Toman, J.E.P., 1946, Effects of L-glutamic acid and other agents on experimental seizures, Arch. Neurol. Psychiatry 56 : 20–29. [link.springer.com]
- Stroke
Feet Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diet and Nutrition Emergency Supplies Fall Prevention Fibromyalgia Fitness and Health Hearing Loss Home Health Care and Safety Industrial and Public Health Safety Occupational Health Safety Sight Impaired Sleeping - COPD Stroke [activeforever.com]
[…] it might be the seasoning of MSG used by the restaurant. (1) The next month ten letters responded – one didn’t think it was MSG, one noted it didn’t happen in all Chinese restaurants – and might be placebo, and another reported a patient developing a stroke [yourdoctorsorders.com]
[…] increased; (2) Glial and neuronal GLU transporters ( Goldsmith, 2000 ; Meldrum, 2000 ) would also presumably remain functional under conditions of increased BBB permeability (except if the brain is ischemic, and thus oxygen deprived, such as during a stroke [doi.org]
Treatment
Treatment & Monitoring What are the treatments for the disease? With symptoms so similar to an allergic reaction, treatment is sometimes given before the diagnosis is made. Antihistamines are the most frequently used medication. [medicineonline.com]
The following signs may also be used to aid in diagnosis: Abnormal heart rhythm observed on an electrocardiogram Decreased air entry into the lungs Rapid heart rate Treatment Treatment depends on the symptoms. [coordinatedhealth.com]
Prognosis
They may be similar to any other severe allergic reaction and include: Chest pain Heart palpitations Shortness of breath Expectations (prognosis) Most people recover from mild cases of Chinese restaurant syndrome without treatment and with no lasting [coordinatedhealth.com]
They may be similar to any other severe allergic reaction and include: Chest pain Heart palpitations Shortness of breath Swelling of the throat Outlook (Prognosis) Most people recover from mild cases of Chinese restaurant syndrome without treatment and [medicalgeek.com]
They may be similar to other severe allergic reactions and include: Chest pain Heart palpitations Shortness of breath Swelling of the throat Outlook (Prognosis) Most people recover from mild cases of Chinese restaurant syndrome without treatment and have [ufhealth.org]
Etiology
Nurse practitioners should therefore concentrate their efforts on advising patients of the nutritional pitfalls of some Chinese restaurant meals and to seek more consistently documented etiologies for symptoms such as headache, xerostomia, or flushing [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
[…] on eating binges and then feel guilt and depression and self-condemnation premenstrual syndrome a syndrome that occurs in many women from 2 to 14 days before the onset of menstruation severe acute respiratory syndrome a respiratory disease of unknown etiology [vocabulary.com]
Epidemiology
Epidemiologic surveys of reactions to MSG. An epidemiologic survey of ∼5000 MSG users and nonusers in Hawaii found no increased recall of neurologic symptoms among MSG users. [academic.oup.com]
Am J Clin Nutr 2011;93:1328–36. (8)A lack of epidemiologic evidence to link consumption of monosodium L-glutamate and obesity in China.vBursey RG, Watson L, Smriga M.Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Sep;94(3):958-60; author reply 960-1. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.111.020727 [yourdoctorsorders.com]
Pathophysiology
Helen Nonye Henry-Unaeze, Update on food safety of monosodium l -glutamate (MSG), Pathophysiology, 10.1016/j.pathophys.2017.08.001, 24, 4, (243-249), (2017). [doi.org]
Prevention
Prevention & Expectations What can be done to prevent the disease? People with CRS should avoid foods containing high amounts of MSG. Symptoms of CRS can sometimes be avoided by eating food prior to eating MSG. [medicineonline.com]
If these ideas are correct, then inhibitors of the NO-MNP and/or temporary reduction of the plasma level of arginine may be useful in preventing at least some of the symptoms of these disorders. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Nevertheless, the only way to surely prevent a reaction is to avoid MSG altogether. This is good practice especially for those who know they have reactions to MSG. [thescientificstudent.com]
Food Allergy Prevention The only sure way to prevent future food allergies is to avoid eating a trigger food. Take care because a trigger can be present in many different foods; only a trace amount can cause a reaction. [emedicinehealth.com]