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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 8/22/2007 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a UCer though I believe I have IBS issues as well. i was wondering whether anyone had problems with the food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG). It's a sodium salt added to sauces, soups etc. It's been implicated in the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.

If so what gastro-related symptoms do you have with this additive?

Thanks in advance

Posted 8/22/2007 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
MSG causes nausea and sometimes vomiting for me. It also is a migraine trigger for me. Some people can tolerate it, I cannot.
Posted 8/22/2007 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
Dbab,

Thats interesting. I went to a homepath yesterday who tested me for allergies and my body reacted strongly against MSG. I knew nothing about it until yesterday. I've done some reading about it online. It sounds pretty horrific in the cases where people have issues. Can I ask you (or anyone else):

1) How soon after eating MSG do you get your gastro issues?
2) Do they begin with weird slushing stomach noises that end up in the colon some hours later?
3) Can you tolerate it in any amounts or is it sauces, soups, chinese etc From what Red_34 told me theres a bit of MSG in almost all processed foods. They hide it under different names (yeast extract).

Thank you for your time

D
Posted 8/22/2007 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
You are correct. MSG can be found in many foods not labeled as MSG. Not only in yeast extract but foods that contain soy too. I do a lot of reading labels and try to stay away from a lot of processed foods. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies during the day and try and cook foods at home in the evening even if its just throwing chicken in the oven.

It took me a while to distinguish the MSG connection. I started noticing it a few years back when I noticed I was ill on a certain day of the week which happened to be the day that we would order chinese food in at work. My symptoms would usually start around 3 or 4pm and I was very ill. The nausea and gas were the biggest GI problems and I would notice stomach noises but not too much sloshing. My doc told me about the possible MSG connection and once I started eliminating the food, my symptoms were gone.
Posted 8/22/2007 4:49 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your advice dbab. Some sites are implicating MSG in IBD as well. They list rectal bleeding as a symptom. Others say that long term it can cause an effect to nervous and immune system and manifest itself in colitis form.
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