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Posted on Aug 13, 2008, 8 p.m.
By Jeanelle Topping
People who use the sodium salt monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a flavor enhancer in their diet are at greater risk of becoming obese, it has been claimed.
People who use the sodium salt monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a flavor enhancer in their diet are at greater risk of becoming obese, it has been claimed.
A study by the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Public Health and published in the journal Obesity has revealed that users of the food additive are more likely to put on weight than those that do not consume it, even if they regularly exercise and consume the same calories.
More than 750 men and women aged between 40 and 59 from three rural Chinese villages were studied for the project.
The 82 per cent who used MSG in their meals were divided into three groups based on how much of it they consumed.
It was discovered that the group who used the most MSG were more than three times as likely to be overweight than non-users, Eurekalert notes.
In news that may be of interest to anti-aging physicians, Ka He - assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the UNC School of Public Health - said: "Ours is the first study to show a link between MSG use and weight in humans."
In related news, the American Academy of Neurology has revealed seafood may prevent memory loss.
