Monosodium glutamate and a severe reaction in one young man
What it found
A teenage boy developed fever, shock, throat swelling and widespread rashes after eating Chinese food containing monosodium glutamate.
Blood tests supported an allergic reaction.
What they found
Studies in people
Severe allergic reaction
The teenager arrived with high fever, cough, shock, a congested throat and rashes all over his body. These symptoms started after he ate Chinese food.
Blood test results
His blood showed raised levels of eosinophils and immunoglobulin E. These markers supported the doctors' suspicion of an allergic reaction to the food additive.
New skin symptoms
The authors note that the specific skin problems seen in this boy had not been reported before in connection with this ingredient.
What the authors conclude
- They describe a case where a teenage boy had a severe allergic reaction after eating food containing monosodium glutamate.
- They point out that the skin symptoms seen in this patient appear to be unique.
- Their report adds new information about how this reaction can look in some people.
How it was done
Some people react to monosodium glutamate with headaches, sweating, belly pain or skin swelling. Doctors call this group of reactions the MSG symptom complex or Chinese restaurant syndrome.
Doctors treated one teenage boy who came to the emergency department after eating Chinese food. They gave him adrenaline, steroids and antihistamine medicines for a severe allergic reaction.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a report about one person.
- It cannot show how often these reactions happen in everyone who eats this ingredient.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India
The paper
- Title
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Symptom Complex (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome): Nightmare of Chinese Food Lovers!
- Type
- Case report
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Shastri M, Raval DM, Rathod VM (2023). Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Symptom Complex (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome): Nightmare of Chinese Food Lovers!. The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India. doi:10.5005/japi-11001-0264PubMed 37355848DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error