The Truth About MSG

Morning!

There are few food villains with as dramatic a redemption arc as MSG. Once blamed for headaches, bloat, and everything short of the housing crisis, MSG has recently reemerged in headlines with all the grace of a comeback pop star. Now, instead of “MSG will fry your brain,” we’re seeing:

“MSG is totally safe.”
“MSG got a bad rap.”
“You’re probably already eating it, and loving it.”

So, what’s going on? Why was MSG ever demonized in the first place, and does it actually pose any health risks? Let’s break it down, flavor, fear, science and all.

CORE

The Birth of MSG (and umami)

The MSG story begins in Japan in 1908, with a chemist named Kikunae Ikeda who asked a simple but world-changing question: Why does my wife’s seaweed broth taste so dang good? After some science wizardry, he discovered the source, glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid in kelp. When he extracted it and bound it to sodium, he created a shelf-stable white powder: monosodium glutamate. He named the taste "umami", which literally means “deliciousness.” Umami has a meaty flavor that refers to the presence of proteins in food.

Ikeda’s invention wasn’t about tricking people. In fact, he originally marketed MSG to poor farmers so they could make their plain rice and vegetables taste more satisfying. It was a nutritional equalizer, an edible amplifier.

Is MSG Harmful?

Let’s squash the big myth. Back in the 1960s, one letter to a medical journal sparked widespread panic about MSG being dangerous, blaming it for everything from migraines to brain swelling. But study after study has since shown that unless you’re eating spoonfuls of it by itself (which…why?), MSG doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier in high enough quantities to cause neurological harm.

Yes, glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter. Yes, too much glutamate in the brain can be toxic, a phenomenon known as excitotoxicity. But the glutamate from your stir-fry? Not even close to dangerous levels. Your body breaks it down in the gut, long before it reaches your brain.

And remember: glutamate is also in breast milk. It’s quite literally one of the first tastes you ever experience.

So, unless you’re consuming massive amounts, dietary MSG does not significantly increase glutamate in the brain. Why? Because of the blood-brain barrier, a biological security gate that blocks most compounds, including dietary glutamate, from entering the brain. Your body is very good at protecting its most valuable asset.

What Does Magnesium Have to Do With All Of This?

Even though MSG from food won’t flood your brain with glutamate, your nervous system still has to manage its own supply. When things get out of balance, whether from faulty nerve signaling, inefficient metabolism, or plain old stress, glutamate can build up and overstimulate your brain.

When this happens, the body has a clever solution. It converts glutamate into GABA, a calming neurotransmitter that reduces stimulation and brings things back to baseline. Learn more about GABA in our Sleep Edition!

This conversion requires an enzyme called glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), which relies heavily on magnesium. Without enough magnesium, this calming system falters, and glutamate hangs around longer than it should.

This is one of the reasons magnesium deficiency is often linked to anxiety, irritability, and poor sleep. And why getting enough magnesium (like the kind in our OmniBlue Original) supports not just your muscles, but your mind.

PRODUCT MENTION

Your brain depends on magnesium to keep stress and overstimulation in check. Without enough, glutamate builds up, making anxiety, irritability, and sleepless nights worse.

OmniBlue Original (2oz.) is fast-absorbing, pure, and designed to support your brain and body exactly where it counts. 100% natural with “zero artificial anything” as we call it. Mix with lemon water, juice, or even meals!

CORE

So Is It Bad for You? Not Really. But Here's the Catch...

Let’s be honest: MSG tastes amazing. That’s the whole point. It brings out the savory, rich flavors in food, which is great when it’s part of something nourishing. But most of the time, MSG isn’t being added to kelp broth, it’s being dumped into ultra-processed foods like instant noodles, chips, frozen dinners, and salty snacks.

There’s no direct scientific link between MSG and obesity, but it doesn’t take a clinical trial to connect the dots. If unhealthy foods taste better, people are more likely to eat more of them. And when those foods are already high in saturated fats, calories, and refined carbs, MSG becomes part of a much bigger problem. Not because it’s toxic, but because it helps junk food go down a little too easy.

Final Thoughts

That’s a wrap on MSG, flavor chemistry, and the science behind that irresistible “one more bite” feeling.

If there’s ever something you’ve wondered about, something you’ve seen on a label, or a claim that made you pause, we’re always open to digging into it. Simply reply to this email.

Until next week!