Author

Prof. Hayk S. Arakelyan. Full Professor in Medicine,

Doctor of Medical Sciences, Ph.D , Grand Ph.D .

Senior Expert of Interactive Clinical Pharmacology , Drug Safety,

Treatment Tactics, General Medicine and Clinical Research.

“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.”

“Hippocrates”

Introduction.

Chinese restaurant syndrome is a set of symptoms that some people have after eating Chinese food. A food additive called monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been blamed for the condition. Reports of serious reactions to Chinese food first appeared in 1968. At that time, MSG was thought to be the cause of these symptoms. Chinese food and soups contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) as the main addictive ingredient. Individual may suffer from headache, giddiness, sweating, abdominal pain, and urticaria within a few hours of consumption of MSG. Angioedema may be delayed up to 8–16 h after the consumption of MSG and it may persist for 24 h.This delayed life-threatening effect in the form of angioedema makes diagnosis difficult.

Glutamate  flavoring.

Glutamate flavoring is a generic name for flavor-enhancing compoundsbased on glutamic acid and its salts (glutamates). These compounds provide an umami (savory) taste to food. Glutamic acid and glutamates are natural constituent of many fermentedor aged foods, including soy sauce, fermented bean paste, and cheese, and also occur in hydrolyzed protein such as yeast extract. The sodium salt of glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate (MSG) is manufactured in a large scale and widely used in the food industry. Only the L-glutamate enantiomer has flavor-enhancing properties. Manufactured monosodium glutamate contains over 99.6% of the naturally-predominant L-glutamate form, which is a higher proportion of L-glutamate than found in the free glutamate ions of fermented naturally-occurring foods. Fermented products such as soy sauce, steak sauce, and Worcestershire sauce have levels of glutamate similar to foods with added monosodium glutamate.                                             Cognitive and biochemical effects of monosodium glutamate and aspartame, administered individually  and in combination on the cognitive behavior and biochemical parameters like neurotransmitters and oxidative stress indices in the brain tissue.

Symptoms.

Reports of  serious reactions to Chinese food first appeared in 1968. At that time, MSG was thought to be the cause of these symptoms. There have been many studies since then that have failed to show a connection between MSG and the symptoms some people describe.

Symptoms may include headache, throbbing of the head, dizziness, lightheadedness, a feeling of facial pressure, tightness of the jaw, burning or tingling sensations over parts of the body, chest pain, and back pain. MSG continues to be used in some meals. However  people  are particularly sensitive to food additives. MSG is chemically similar to one of the brain's most important chemicals, glutamate.Symptoms often include a headache, skin flushing, and sweating. A food additive called monosodium glutamate (MSG) is often blamed for the symptoms some people experience after eating  this food. However, there’s minimal scientific evidence showing a link between MSG and these symptoms in humans. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers MSG to be a safe ingredient, and most people can eat foods that contain MSG without experiencing any problems. However, a small percentage of people have short-term adverse reactions to the food additive. Due to the controversy, many restaurants now advertise that they don’t add MSG to their foods. Less commonly, people experience severe, potentially life-threatening symptoms that are similar to those of allergic reactions.

-Treatment and   Profylactic Perspectives.

- Glutamate  flavoring and brain chemicals.

- Glutamate  flavoring and Other Diseases.

- Glutamate  flavoring and Food  Interactions.

-Glutamate  flavoring and Drug  Interactions.

-Glutamate  flavoring and Alcohol  Interactions.

- MSG allergy.

-Japanese restaurant syndrome.

To be continued ....

If you have any questions concerning “Chinese  Kitchen  Syndrome”, interactive clinical pharmacology , or any other questions, please  inform  me.

 Prof. Hayk S. Arakelyan