There is some preliminary evidence that suggests that more than a slight to moderate consumption of MSG could be unhealthy. However, the widely held belief that even small doses of MSG produce headaches, palpitations, and other physical distresses - and that one falls victim to these by eating in inexpensive Chinese restaurants - is largely untrue unless one happens to be one of those rare people who has a particularly low tolerance for MSG.

For example, why do so many of the victims seem to develop those symptoms only when they eat in low-priced Chinese restaurants and not when they eat in other budget eateries? The local corner coffee shop is apt to use just as much MSG as a run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant. Therefore, unless the chef did use an MSG megadose which is an infrequent occurrence, the so-called Chinese restaurant syndrome would appear to be chiefly psychosomatic.

** Asian Recipes **