[bpicolo]

Here's a study for contextualizing:

https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(00)44233-8/ful...

I've yet to see one that showed actual adverse effects of eating MSG via food, regardless of claimed sensitivities. I think this is the heart of the "racist" claim - there's no study that supports the existence of that sort of MSG sensitivity out there yet (that I've heard about)

[kazinator]

The study isn't denying that there are effects.

> neither persistent nor serious effects from MSG ingestion

Effects don't have to be serious or persistent for them to be a nuisance enough to avoid!

I don't need six hours of a mild headache/nausea, thanks.

[bpicolo]

This context was important on the study:

> large doses of MSG given without food

[kazinator]

That could describe the situation when you're drinking MSG-laced soup. The liquid will race ahead of the solids ingredients like noodles and get absorbed first.

If MSG is sprinked onto something dry, like some types of snack food, which is then washed down with a drink, it could also be absorbed fast.

[tptacek]

This is first-principles message board hypothesizing. In fact, there's enormous incentive in academic science to actually demonstrate a reliable adverse MSG effect, and there has been for decades. Why has no reputable study done so? Is it really your argument that no food scientist has ever thought of the study design questions you're alluding to here?

[klipt]

The "large" dose they use (5g) seems very small. By comparison, just 1 teaspoon of MSG is 8g. I could easily imagine some restaurant dishes containing more than that.

(Density of MSG is 1.62 g/cm³, 1 teaspoon = 5cm³)

[happyopossum]

If you can imagine a single dish containing more than 1 teaspoon of pure MSG, then either you haven't used it or your tastebuds are challenged. 1Tsp of MSG is more than enough to flavor a several pounds of ground meat, or a quart of tomato sauce. You're not getting 1tsp of MSG in a single dish that tastes anywhere near edible.