Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39914377›Full record

ReviewObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2025

Monosodium glutamate: A hidden risk factor for obesity?

Ka Kahe, Blandine Laferrère, Francisco X Castellanos, Yijia Zhang, Dariush Mozaffarian

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ka KaheDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5078-2010
Blandine LaferrèreDivision of Endocrinology, New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Francisco X CastellanosNathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
Yijia ZhangDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Dariush MozaffarianFriedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

Amino Acids, Protein, and BMI in Adults Across CulturesR21DK073812 · NIDDK · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI KAHE, KA · 2007 to 2008
$413k
NIDDK NIH HHS R21 DK073812
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has become one of the most widely used food additives in the global food supply. Although it has been classified for decades as a food ingredient that is generally recognized as safe, concerns about the health impacts of chronic MSG use, especially its potential effect on weight, are still ongoing. This comprehensive review summarizes the available human and animal evidence, highlighting potential mechanisms linking MSG use to weight gain or obesity, and discusses challenges and future research directions. Because of MSG intake worldwide as well as hidden MSG in food labeling, there is a pressing need for a mechanistic understanding of the health impacts of MSG use especially on weight. To generate robust scientific evidence and to clarify public concerns, rigorous mechanistic studies and randomized controlled clinical trials are warranted.

Indexed as

Food AdditivesObesitySodium GlutamateSweetening AgentsAnimalsHumansRisk FactorsWeight GainFood AdditivesSodium GlutamateSweetening Agentsadiposityfood additivemonosodium glutamateobesity

Identifiers

PMID39914377
PMCPMC12168872

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.