Glutamate (MSG, monosodium glutamate)

Also called glutamate, MSG, monosodium glutamate, monosodium L-glutamate, glutamic acid, L-glutamic acid.

Best grade C across 5 graded outcomes Amino acid Last checked Oct 21, 2026

The short answer

From 11 sources

Glutamate is an amino acid found mostly in protein foods; MSG is its sodium salt used as a seasoning. In the largest double-blind challenge study, large doses of MSG without food caused more symptoms than placebo in self-reported reactors, but responses were inconsistent on retesting. The FDA classes added MSG as generally recognized as safe. Glutamic acid supplements lack trials.

Every graded outcome on this page

5 rows · line = participants

Grade CCognitive scores in dementiaCognitionn 159
Grade CSymptoms after MSG in self-reported reactorsMSG symptom complexn 130
Grade CEnergy intake after an MSG-seasoned soupAppetiten 68
Grade DHeadache and muscle tenderness with repeated high-dose MSGHeadachen 14
Grade DPost-meal glucose and GLP-1Blood glucosen 13

Key facts

MSG symptom complex: In 130 people who believed they react to MSG, 5 g taken without food caused more symptoms than placebo, but reactions did not repeat consistently and were not seen when MSG was given with food^1,2
Everyday amounts: Adults eat about 13 g of glutamate a day from protein versus about 0.55 g of added MSG; a typical serving with added MSG has under 0.5 g⁹
Regulatory status: The FDA considers added MSG generally recognized as safe (GRAS). EFSA set a group acceptable daily intake of 30 mg/kg body weight per day, expressed as glutamic acid, for glutamic acid and glutamate food additives (E 620-625), about 2.1 g a day for a 70 kg adult (our arithmetic); it was derived from an animal study because human data lacked a no-effect dose, and it does not apply to glutamate naturally present in food^9,8
Headache at high doses: 150 mg/kg MSG daily for 5 days caused headache in 8 of 14 healthy people versus 2 of 14 on placebo, with short-lived rises in blood pressure³
Appetite: Adding MSG to a vegetable soup reduced energy eaten at the next lunch in 68 overweight women, in an Ajinomoto-run study⁵

What it is

Glutamate is an amino acid in protein foods; MSG, its sodium salt, is a savoury (umami) seasoning, and glutamic acid is sold as a supplement.

How it works

Proposed

Glutamate gives the savoury umami taste. Most dietary glutamate is absorbed and metabolised by the gut wall before reaching the general circulation. Small human studies suggest MSG in a meal raises the gut hormone GLP-1 and may increase satiety, proposed to work through gut nutrient sensing.^8,6,5

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Glutamate (MSG, monosodium glutamate) forms compared

2 forms

Glutamate (MSG, monosodium glutamate) forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 forms	Monosodium glutamate (seasoning)	L-glutamic acid (supplement capsules)
Absorption in people	Dietary glutamate is largely metabolised by the gut wall before reaching the bloodstream.⁸	Same presystemic gut metabolism as dietary glutamate.⁸
GI tolerance	Transient symptoms such as headache, flushing or tingling reported in some sensitive people at 3 g or more without food.^9,1	No controlled trials of glutamic acid capsules were found. EFSA's 30 mg/kg/day group ADI covers glutamic acid and glutamates used as food additives (E 620-625); it was not set for supplement capsules.⁸
Studied for	Symptom challenges, appetite, glucose	No controlled human trials

Monosodium glutamate (seasoning)
Absorption in people
Dietary glutamate is largely metabolised by the gut wall before reaching the bloodstream.⁸
GI tolerance
Transient symptoms such as headache, flushing or tingling reported in some sensitive people at 3 g or more without food.^9,1
Studied for
Symptom challenges, appetite, glucose
L-glutamic acid (supplement capsules)
Absorption in people
Same presystemic gut metabolism as dietary glutamate.⁸
GI tolerance
No controlled trials of glutamic acid capsules were found. EFSA's 30 mg/kg/day group ADI covers glutamic acid and glutamates used as food additives (E 620-625); it was not set for supplement capsules.⁸
Studied for
No controlled human trials

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

5 graded outcomes, largest study first

5 graded outcomes: 2 improved, 2 mixed, 1 worsened. The largest, a 2019 randomized trial of 159 people on cognitive scores in dementia, found mixed results. One outcome found a worsening: headache and muscle tenderness with repeated high-dose MSG (14 people).

By sizeTable

1Cognitive scores in dementia

Mixed · Grade C · RCT, 159 people, 2019

Japanese adults with dementia in hospitals or nursing homes

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Cognitive scores in dementia	Mixed	159	Grade C · RCT, 2019	Japanese adults with dementia in hospitals or nursing homes
Symptoms after MSG in self-reported reactors	Mixed	130	Grade C · Crossover RCT, 2000	US adults who reported adverse reactions to MSG (multicentre)
Energy intake after an MSG-seasoned soup	Improved	68	Grade C · Crossover RCT, 2016	Overweight and obese women without eating disorders
Headache and muscle tenderness with repeated high-dose MSG	Worsened	14	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2013	Healthy Danish adults
Post-meal glucose and GLP-1	Improved	13	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2012	Healthy Japanese men

Every graded row

5 rows

Form tested

Showing 5 of 5 outcomes. Human trials only.

Grade CCognitive scores in dementiaCognitionMain scores unchangedRCT
n 159 · 2019

Mixed No difference in total cognitive (TDAS, GBSS) scores at 12 weeks; one sub-item held up better and total TDAS was better at follow-up.

Design: RCT, n = 159, 2019
Population: Japanese adults with dementia in hospitals or nursing homes
Form: MSG vs sodium chloride
Dose: 0.9 g three times daily
Duration: 12 weeks plus 4-week follow-up
Source: Reference 7 · PubMed 30349139 (opens PubMed)

Grade CSymptoms after MSG in self-reported reactorsMSG symptom complexInconsistent symptoms at 5 gCrossover RCT
n 130 · 2000

Mixed 38.5% responded to MSG only, and higher doses raised response rates, but only half of 5 g responders reacted again and the 2 most consistent responders reacted to only one of three MSG challenges given with food. No persistent or serious effects.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 130, 2000
Population: US adults who reported adverse reactions to MSG (multicentre)
Form: MSG capsules or drinks without food (later with food)
Dose: 5 g single challenge, then rising doses
Duration: Repeated single-dose challenges
Source: Reference 1 · PubMed 11080723 (opens PubMed)

Grade CEnergy intake after an MSG-seasoned soupAppetiteLower lunch intakeCrossover RCT
n 68 · 2016

Improved Energy intake at the following lunch was significantly lower, including from high-fat savoury foods; afternoon snack intake was lower but not significantly.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 68, 2016
Population: Overweight and obese women without eating disorders
Form: Vegetable soup with added MSG vs sodium-matched control soup
Dose: 0.5 g MSG per 100 mL (200 mL soup)
Duration: Single test days
Source: Reference 5 · PubMed 26455957 (opens PubMed)

Grade DHeadache and muscle tenderness with repeated high-dose MSGHeadacheMore headaches (8/14 vs 2/14)Crossover RCT
n 14 · 2013

Worsened Headache occurred in 8 of 14 with MSG vs 2 of 14 with placebo; jaw-muscle pressure pain thresholds fell and blood pressure rose briefly after MSG.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 14, 2013
Population: Healthy Danish adults
Form: MSG drink vs salt placebo
Dose: 150 mg/kg per day (about 10 g for a 70 kg adult)
Duration: 5 days
Source: Reference 3 · PubMed 23565943 (opens PubMed)

Grade DPost-meal glucose and GLP-1Blood glucoseLower early glucoseCrossover RCT
n 13 · 2012

Improved Glucose area under the curve over 60 minutes was lower (40.6 vs 49.2) and 30-minute GLP-1 higher with MSG; gastric emptying and symptoms did not change.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 13, 2012
Population: Healthy Japanese men
Form: Liquid meal with MSG vs salt
Dose: 2 g MSG in a 400 mL, 520 kcal meal
Duration: Single test meals
Source: Reference 6 · PubMed 22978669 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

Seasoning amounts are far below challenge doses

Symptoms in trials came at 5 g without food or about 150 mg/kg a day, while a typical serving with added MSG has under 0.5 g.^1,3,9

Benefit studies are industry-linked

The appetite and dementia trials included authors from Ajinomoto, a major MSG producer.^5,7

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from about 1 g of MSG in a soup or 2 g in a meal to 5 g challenges and 150 mg/kg/day for 5 days; a dementia trial used 0.9 g three times daily for 12 weeks. These are research doses, not recommendations.^5,6,1,3,7

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Glutamate and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Glutamate.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

7 groups

People who notice reactions to MSG: Large amounts without food are the situation most linked to symptoms; reactions were inconsistent on retesting and absent with food in the largest challenge study.^1,9
People with fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms: In people who improved on a diet excluding MSG and aspartame, a double-blind MSG challenge brought symptoms back compared with placebo.⁴
People limiting sodium: MSG is a sodium salt, so it adds sodium; labels must list added MSG by name.⁹
High habitual intake: EFSA noted that, for some population groups, estimated intake of glutamate food additives exceeds not only its acceptable daily intake but also doses linked to adverse effects in humans.⁸
Pregnancy: Human data are lacking: a 2025 systematic review of maternal MSG intake found no eligible human studies, only 14 animal studies, and called for prospective human research.¹¹
Breastfeeding: A 2026 systematic review (2 randomized trials, 16 observational studies, plus animal studies and regulatory reports) found glutamate levels in breast milk stayed stable regardless of the mother's intake, with no adverse outcomes at dietary exposures.¹⁰
Medicines: The FDA's MSG page lists no drug interactions, and we found no published interaction studies or case reports, so interaction data are limited.⁹

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

2 checks

MSG on labels

Added MSG must be listed as monosodium glutamate. Ingredients such as yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and soy extracts naturally contain free glutamate but need not say so, and such foods cannot claim 'No MSG'.⁹

Glutamate is not gluten

Glutamate and glutamic acid are unrelated to gluten.⁹

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, glutamate (msg, monosodium glutamate) included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

7 answers

Does MSG help with appetite?

In an Ajinomoto-run study, MSG-seasoned soup lowered energy eaten at lunch in 68 overweight women; independent replication is lacking.⁵

Is MSG bad for you?

Regulators consider it safe at normal intakes: the FDA classes it as GRAS and EFSA set a group acceptable daily intake for added glutamates of 30 mg/kg body weight per day, expressed as glutamic acid. Some sensitive people report short-lived symptoms after large amounts without food.^9,8

Can MSG cause headaches?

At very high doses, yes: 150 mg/kg a day for 5 days caused headaches in 8 of 14 people versus 2 on placebo. That is more than 20 times a typical serving.^3,9

How much MSG is in a normal serving?

The FDA says a typical serving of a food with added MSG contains less than 0.5 g, while adults get about 13 g of glutamate a day from protein in food.⁹

Does MSG interact with medicines?

No drug interactions are listed on the FDA's MSG page, and we found no published interaction studies, so the data are limited rather than reassuring.⁹

Is MSG safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding?

For breastfeeding, a 2026 systematic review found breast-milk glutamate stayed stable whatever the mother ate and no harm at normal dietary amounts. For pregnancy, a 2025 review found no human studies at all, only animal research, so human data are lacking.^10,11

Is MSG sensitivity real?

In the largest double-blind study, 5 g without food caused more symptoms than placebo in self-reported reactors, but reactions were inconsistent on retesting and did not occur with food.¹

Sources

11 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

11 sources

1Multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-challenge evaluation of reported reactions to monosodium glutamate.Crossover RCT J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2000 · PMID 11080723
2Review of alleged reaction to monosodium glutamate and outcome of a multicenter double-blind placebo-controlled study.Review J Nutr, 2000 · PMID 10736382
3Headache and mechanical sensitization of human pericranial muscles after repeated intake of monosodium glutamate (MSG).Crossover RCT J Headache Pain, 2013 · PMID 23565943
4The effect of dietary glutamate on fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms.Crossover RCT Clin Exp Rheumatol, 2012 · PMID 22766026
5Monosodium L-glutamate in soup reduces subsequent energy intake from high-fat savoury food in overweight and obese women.Crossover RCT Br J Nutr, 2016 · PMID 26455957
6Monosodium glutamate stimulates secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 and reduces postprandial glucose after a lipid-containing meal.Crossover RCT Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2012 · PMID 22978669
7Effect of monosodium L-glutamate (umami substance) on cognitive function in people with dementia.RCT Eur J Clin Nutr, 2019 · PMID 30349139
8Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives.Guideline EFSA J, 2017 · PMID 32625571
9Questions and Answers on Monosodium glutamate (MSG)Fact sheet U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2012 · fda.gov
10Systematic review of metabolism and safety aspects of monosodium glutamate intake in infants and lactating mothers: a scientific and regulatory perspective.Systematic review Front Nutr, 2026 · PMID 42440894
11A review of the implications of maternal monosodium glutamate consumption on offspring health.Systematic review Clin Nutr, 2025 · PMID 40651333

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

3 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026summary, who should be careful, FAQ, sources	Added pregnancy (no human studies; PMID 40651333) and breastfeeding (stable breast-milk glutamate; PMID 42440894) safety notes, a note that interaction data are limited (FDA MSG page re-read), and 3 FAQs. A PubMed search for 2023–2026 meta-analyses and RCTs of MSG intake found none suitable for the evidence table; evidence rows unchanged. Summary trimmed to 60 words without changing its claims.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
Oct 18, 2026Goals	Added the Brain & focus goal (focus): the page already has a graded human row on a memory or thinking outcome (“Cognitive scores in dementia”, Grade C). No evidence row, grade or text changed.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: Update
Oct 14, 2026all	Initial editorial evidence review (first draft). Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (titles and years taken from the record, none retracted) and the abstract read for each cited row. Studied doses are reported as research doses, not dosing advice.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

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