MSG linked to obesity and liver disease

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been linked to obesity and progressive liver disease. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food identifies MSG as a critical factor in the initiation of obesity and shows that while a restrictive diet won’t stop obesity, it can slow the progression of related liver disease.

A team of international researchers led by Makoto Fujimoto monitored the weight gain and development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in MSG-treated mice fed either a calorie-restricted or standard diet.

“Although MSG has been deemed a safe food additive, its dosage, interaction with other drugs, effects on vulnerable populations and effects on chronic inflammatory diseases are unknown,” wrote Co-Editor-in-Chief Sampath Parthasarathy, PhD, in the journal’s Editorial entitled ‘How safe is monosodium glutamate? Exploring the link to obesity, metabolic disorders and inflammatory disease’.

Parthasarathy says the study’s findings “may have far-reaching implications, as childhood obesity is a major problem across the globe”.

The study, ‘A dietary restriction influences the progression but not the initiation of MSG-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis’, is available from the Journal of Medicinal Food website.