SynthesisThe journal of headache and pain2016
Does monosodium glutamate really cause headache? : a systematic review of human studies.
Synthesis in The journal of headache and pain, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed.
- Nutrition and Physical Activity in an Interdisciplinary Approach to Migraine: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2025Review
- The Need for Uniform Labeling Regulations for Monosodium Glutamate to Address Health Risks and Consumer Protection.Cureus · 2025Article
- An Assessment of the Dietary Habits of Individuals with Migraine Living in Spain: An Exploratory Observational Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.Nutrients · 2025Observational
- Dietary Patterns and Migraine: Insights and Impact.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Unraveling the MSG-Headache Controversy: an Updated Literature Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- The correlation between the frequent intake of dietary migraine triggers and increased clinical features of migraine (analytical cross-sectional study from Egypt).Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Review
- Investigation of the Effects of Monosodium Glutamate on the Embryonic Development of the Eye in Chickens.Veterinary sciences · 2023Article
- Additives in Children's Nutrition-A Review of Current Events.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Protective Effect of GIP against Monosodium Glutamate-Induced Ferroptosis in Mouse Hippocampal HT-22 Cells through the MAPK Signaling Pathway.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Reporting The Effects of Exposure to Monosodium Glutamate on The Regulatory Peptides of The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis.International journal of fertility & sterility · 2021Review
- Truths and Myths in Pediatric Migraine and Nutrition.Nutrients · 2021Review
- Association between Brain and Plasma Glutamine Levels in Healthy Young Subjects Investigated by MRS and LC/MS.Nutrients · 2019Article
- A review of the alleged health hazards of monosodium glutamate.Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety · 2019Article
- Review
- Extensive use of monosodium glutamate: A threat to public health?EXCLI journal · 2018Article
- Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives.EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2017Article
- Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2017Article
- Headaches: a Review of the Role of Dietary Factors.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Although monosodium glutamate (MSG) is classified as a causative substance of headache in the International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd edition (ICHD-III beta), there is no literature in which causal relationship between MSG and headache was comprehensively reviewed. We performed systematic review of human studies which include the incidence of headache after an oral administration of MSG. An analysis was made by separating the human studies with MSG administration with or without food, because of the significant difference of kinetics of glutamate between those conditions (Am J Clin Nutr 37:194-200, 1983; J Nutr 130:1002S-1004S, 2000) and there are some papers which report the difference of the manifestation of symptoms after MSG ingestion with or without food (Food Chem Toxicol 31:1019-1035, 1993; J Nutr 125:2891S-2906S, 1995). Of five papers including six studies with food, none showed a significant difference in the incidence of headache except for the female group in one study. Of five papers including seven studies without food, four studies showed a significant difference. Many of the studies involved administration of MSG in solution at high concentrations (>2 %). Since the distinctive MSG is readily identified at such concentrations, these studies were thought not to be properly blinded. Because of the absence of proper blinding, and the inconsistency of the findings, we conclude that further studies are required to evaluate whether or not a causal relationship exists between MSG ingestion and headache.
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