Chinese Restaurant Syndrome:
Not Just from Chinese Food

There's something called Chinese restaurant syndrome that's been around awhile — it's also called MSG (monosodium glutamate) symptom complex. Essentially, there are some people who have a noticeable bad reaction when they eat foods that contain MSG. And these foods aren't just found in Chinese restaurants.

Our friend Chuck first started experiencing Chinese restaurant syndrome over 20 years ago. He'd be in the restaurant, enjoying his meal, when his hands and entire body would break into a cold, clammy sweat. His heart would begin pounding, he'd become very pale, and would start to have a hard time breathing deeply. This reaction would last two or three hours, but Chuck noticed that drinking lots of water would shorten the length of his reaction some. He never went to a doctor, but eventually made the connection between the MSG and his symptoms. After realizing that he probably had Chinese restaurant syndrome, he began going to the cooks at the Asian restaurants where he'd eat, and ask them to hold the MSG. After that, his symptoms disappeared! At least, they did at the Chinese restaurants — he still has to watch out for many processed foods. One reaction took place after he ate a Subway sandwich that contained MSG in its seasoning.

MSG, a "flavor enhancer," is a manufactured form of a natural chemical: free glutamic acid. It's very similar to our brains' neurotransmitter, glutamate. Glutamate helps our neurons fire and communicate with each other. But if we get too much of it, glutamate can increase the firing of nerve cells to the point where it destroys them. Yes, that's right, MSG can kill your brain cells.

On top of this, when MSG is isolated and then commercially produced, it tends to become contaminated — food-grade MSG is only 98.7% monosodium glutamate. Sometimes it's contaminated with known carcinogens, like mono- and dicholoropropanols. The "Chinese restaurant syndrome" reactions some people have are only ever due to this commercially produced glutamic acid — not the naturally occurring kind.

MSG has been called an "excitotoxin." It overexcites our brains, and it is poisonous — it's a neurotoxin. But, interestingly, this "exciting" influence it has on us is one of the reasons food manufacturers use it. We get a little "buzz" from eating food with MSG, and it makes us want more and more. So we buy more and more . . . see how that works? Pretty sneaky.

Now, the reaction that some people have to MSG, this "Chinese restaurant syndrome," isn't technically a food allergy . This means it doesn't involve the same set of reactions in our bodies that classical allergies do. But it's possible that, as with vaccine injury, people with weakened systems — such as those who are already overloaded with toxins — are more prone to reacting noticeably to something that isn't doing ANY of us any good.
( Food dye allergies are like this — dyes are bad for everyone, but only some people have strong reactions.) Regardless, around 10-15% of the population DO react strongly to MSG. That's pretty significant.

Symptoms

If you're thinking you may have Chinese restaurant syndrome, what symptoms might you have? Look for:

• Headache
• Flushing or paleness
• Sweating
• Rapid heart rate/heart palpitations
• Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
• Swelling of throat/sense of pressure in mouth or face
• Chest pain

See a doctor for breathing or heart issues!

Foods to Avoid

Problem foods for those with Chinese restaurant syndrome include:

• Canned soups and soup stocks
• Chips, salty snack foods
• Frozen dinners
• Any commercially prepared seasoning mix that ISN'T specifically labeled, "No MSG"
• American restaurant food, especially fast food (see more information here)

If you'd like to read more about MSG, another helpful site on this subject is Truth In Labeling.

Return from the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome page to Beyond Food Allergies home!