Mono Sodium Glutamate!

Mono sodium glutamate (msg) or tasting salt or ajinomoto 

The most widely used artificial agent in many restaurants and fast food centers with a exception of a few good ones. Msg is an artifically processed crytalline substance used in cooking to enhance the taste. It enhances the perception of taste by expanding the tastebuds on your tongue and palate which inturn sends powerful signals to your brain. So far its ideal if you look at it. However the story doesnt end there. Once msg has served its primary purpose of enhancing taste, it travels down your throat into your stomach and then into your blood along with the digested food. To understand what msg does in your blood you need to first understand the role of insulin and sugar in your body. 

Its complex but let me give it to you in a nutshell, when the sugars in our diet reach the blood after digestion they need to be delivered to muscle organs etc. But sugar cannot enter any organ or tissue without a key. (key to open doors) that key is insulin. There is an appropriate amount of insulin that is released in response to the sugar in the blood so most of the sugar enters organs etc for energy. 

In diseases like diabetes insulin response becomes faulty, the body cannot keep up with the insulin requirement so diabetics end up taking external insulin in the form of injections. Diabetes develops due to excessive stress, excessive eating, family history etc. One of the newer causes is msg too. Msg has been researched and its now known to act like sugar. If you consumed 1 part of sugar, you'd normally have 1 part of insulin in your system to utilize the sugar available in your blood. Msg is notorious - for every 1 part of msg - your body is forced to produce 30times the insulin it should normally produce. This severely stresses your insulin producing organ (pancreas). If this happens on a long run you are likely to develop diabetes. So say no to msg. 

Msg is generally added in- 

• Chinese foods
• Biryanis