My aunt actually is allergic to MSG, and to paprika… don’t know if those are actually related. They are classic allergy symptoms.
However on your topic lactose intolerance has the same problem, everybody thinks it’s an allergy too.
-bill
According to msgtruth.org (which, granted, needs to be taken with a very large grain of salt), MSG itself doesn’t cause a histamine response, BUT it can be linked to a much higher histamine response for things which someone isn’t normally allergic to. i.e. your aunt most likely isn’t allergic to MSG, but becomes temporarily allergic to whatever it is that’s in the food that the MSG is in (which she already has a minor histamine response to).
So, strictly-speaking she probably isn’t actually allergic to MSG, but the end result is that MSG leads to an allergic reaction, so it’s probably not worth picking nits over.
Heuristics Inc. said,
May 15, 2009 at 11:50 am
My aunt actually is allergic to MSG, and to paprika… don’t know if those are actually related. They are classic allergy symptoms.
However on your topic lactose intolerance has the same problem, everybody thinks it’s an allergy too.
-bill
The Chef said,
May 15, 2009 at 6:27 pm
According to msgtruth.org (which, granted, needs to be taken with a very large grain of salt), MSG itself doesn’t cause a histamine response, BUT it can be linked to a much higher histamine response for things which someone isn’t normally allergic to. i.e. your aunt most likely isn’t allergic to MSG, but becomes temporarily allergic to whatever it is that’s in the food that the MSG is in (which she already has a minor histamine response to).
So, strictly-speaking she probably isn’t actually allergic to MSG, but the end result is that MSG leads to an allergic reaction, so it’s probably not worth picking nits over.