ON THE call-in programme Down To Brass Tacks of May 26 2010, a caller asserted that, common salt was more harmful than mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), when ingested by humans.
The caller’s assertion was erroneously based on the fact that, he assumed common salt consisted of two atoms of sodium and one of chlorine. I called the programme to correct the above assertion and one of a previous caller, who claimed MSG in general, was harmful, when ingested by humans.
In letters to the press by me (September and November 2005), I clearly showed that MSG was not harmful to humans when, like any compound, it was consumed at the levels recommended. I also stated that MSG was found in quite a number of foods. I also went on to point out that; there were taste receptors for MSG on the tongues of humans.
I then posed the question, why would humans have taste receptors for MSG, if MSG was not meant to be consumed by them. Sodium Chloride (common salt) consists of one atom of sodium and one of chlorine. When I pointed out this fact, the moderator commented that it was an unimportant fact. “The physiological role of sodium is to provide the proper osmotic balance in the extra cellular fluids of the body” (Sebranek and others. 1983. “Physiological role of Dietary Sodium in Human Health and implications of Sodium reduction in Muscle Foods.” Food Technology. 37: 7:51-59).
The effect of sodium on the extra cellular fluid volume (ECFV) has led to its implication as a causal factor in hypertension. “An increase in sodium uptake causes an expansion of the ECFV and an increase in body weight. If dietary sodium is then decreased, diuresis and weight loss occurs until a steady state is achieved (Sebranek and others 1983).
It is necessary for me to explain some simple facts of physical chemistry, for the moderator’s benefit. When dissolved in water, since it is an ionic compound, a salt solution allows the passage of an electrical current. In solution, sodium consists of ions or positively charged particles.
These ions have small ionic radii and attract water molecules. In other words, the ions of sodium become hydrated and undergo an increase in size as well as weight due to the adsorption of water. It therefore follows, that if sodium chloride contained two atoms of sodium instead of one, the amount of hydration and thus weight gain must be twice the amount one would expect.
It also follows that, in such a case, there would a two-fold adverse on the blood pressure of an individual. In the case of MSG, one atom of sodium is present. There should be, based on theoretical considerations little difference between MSG and salt. Robert d. Lucas, Ph.D. is a food biotechnologist.
