Food Detectives, a Food Network show that tests various food products and tries to make its results seem scientific, recently jumped into the MSG debate. Its results were so skewed, you could almost say they were paid off to prove MSG is harmless. Now the only reason I care is that my mom is highly allergic to the food additive, and has strongly reacted to it in food she did not know contained the flavor enhancer. Many countries, including Canada and England, discourage its use, but food lobbyists in America have managed to produce studies “proving” the allergic reactions are purely psychological. Although it’s probably true that MSG is often a scapegoat for many different food allergies, the chemical does induce allergic reactions in people, and the Food Detectives “science” was just as offensive as if they told lactose-intolerant people they were imagining things.
Here’s the FD experiment: two groups consumed Chinese food and were told it might contain MSG. Of course, only one of the two groups actually had MSG in their food. Then the smug hosts asked who experienced a reaction, and about four people on the “No MSG” side claimed problems. Only one person who actually consumed the chemical had a reaction.
Food Network claimed this proves MSG is a purely psychological reaction, but the faultiness is ridiculously apparent to anybody who has taken a class in psych or scientific research. First, they served Chinese food, which is known to contain MSG. People who are legitimately allergic to the substance are already wary of Chinese food, and the chances of psychological reactions will inevitably increase. Second, the subjects were TOLD the food they were eating might contain MSG. It’s like the Food Detectives were trying to convince people they were going to have a reaction even before they actually consumed anything. Third, everybody consumed the food in the exact same room; while MSG itself is odorless, the enhanced smell it creates when combined with other foods often initiates allergic reactions. I have seen people with known MSG allergies walk into a dining room, and turn around and walk out because they smelled the MSG-laden food. Some people on the No-MSG side may very well have experienced reactions just by smelling the real MSG food. Finally, based on this one test, because a few people who did not consume MSG complained of symptoms, the Food Detectives announced that MSG is safe. They completely ignored the one person who did consume and react to the chemical.
This is how the experiment should have been conducted. Each group should have eaten something that never contains MSG, like ice cream, in separate rooms. They should not have been told about MSG possibilities, or what the researchers were trying to find. The Food Detectives should have then asked if anybody felt any sort of reaction to the ice cream, instead of asking, “Who is experiencing MSG symptoms?” Of course, conducting an honest experiment like this probably wouldn’t have “proven” that MSG reactions are psychological, and wouldn’t have produced the result the TV show and its sponsors wanted.
I myself am not highly allergic to the flavor enhancer, and the most serious reactions I’ve witnessed took place in family members—some might accuse me of siting anecdotal evidence of MSG allergies. However, the Food Detectives “proof” was strictly anecdotal as well, and their argument was so weak and ill-constructed, I’m shocked that they tried to pass this off as science. In fact, that’s what infuriates me so much: regardless of what the researchers were trying to prove, the scientific “test” was ridiculously inadequate, and makes me wonder how many other studies are just as skewed.
