Glutamic acid

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Eye damage from diabetes²

  In people with type 2 diabetes, eating more glutamic acid did not change their risk of diabetic eye disease.

• Benefit

  Colon cancer risk⁴

  In older adults, eating more glutamic acid was linked to lower colorectal cancer risk, mainly in those not overweight.

• Benefit

  Stroke risk in women⁵

  In a Japanese study, women who ate more glutamic acid were less likely to die from stroke.

• Open question

  Blood pressure⁷

  In people, eating more glutamic acid was linked to slightly lower blood pressure.

How it’s made and used

• Infant formula intake³

  Babies fed infant formula took in more glutamic acid than the recommended daily amount.

• Taste threshold for broth⁶

  Untrained people could not tell chicken broth with added glutamic acid from plain broth, even at the highest amount tested.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.