From Real Age:
Too much monosodium glutamate (MSG) — an additive used in restaurant and processed foods to boost flavor — may be a fast track to weight gain, a new study shows.
Investigating MSG
Have you heard of MSG? It’s basically a salt that comes from glutamic acid. Restaurants and food manufacturers use it because it gives flavors a little lift. But that pleasure for your mouth may come at the expense of your hips. People who started a study at a healthy weight but were among the highest MSG consumers — taking in about 5 grams a day — were 33 percent more likely to be overweight at the end of the study 5 years later. And, surprisingly, it’s not because better-tasting food enticed people to eat more. Eating lots of MSG bumped up the risk of extra pounds, regardless of calorie intake.