The Secret Ingredient That Makes You Fat

Do you think that you are eating too much? Are you afraid that you are overweight? Don’t put the blame entirely on yourself for that extra weight you are having there. Share some of the blame to that one secret ingredient in most packaged foods– monosodium glutamate. Results of new studies suggest that monosodium glutamate, or MSG, may be a contributing factor in the obesity epidemic. Scientists at the University of North Carolina found  that those who regularly consume foods with MSG are more likely to gain extra weight than those who do not have MSG intake. Another study by an international team conducted in China on 750 people revealed that those who use MSG as seasoning for their food are three times more likely to become overweight than those who do not use MSG.

What is in MSG that makes people fat? As of now, scientists are not really sure of the answer, but they are looking into how MSG interferes with brain neurons that stimulate the appetite. Some studies have shown that MSG  greatly increases the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas causing rodents injected with it to become obese.

So, if MSG makes one fat, the best thing to do is avoid it. But monosodium glutamate is not that easy to avoid because it is in almost everything; it’s in almost all packaged foods and in that  hamburger you’ve just eaten this morning. Restaurants use it a lot, though most of them are reluctant to acknowledge it. They add it to their food because it makes people eat more. That is why you can’t get enough of that chicken dish you had for lunch from your favorite restaurant, it’s sprinkled with the secret ingredient–MSG.

The relationship between weight gain and MSG is not yet fully established, but one thing is sure, it gives foods their punch and it makes you eat more.