味精是“害人精”，不但讓人變傻還致癌？不敢吃味精的人都看看吧

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味精吃多了讓人變傻還致癌，是真的嗎？

英語·食物真相

本文來源：TED英語演說優選（ID： tedtalks1984）

版權歸原作者所有

1968年，羅伯特·何文國博士在一家中餐館吃過晚飯後感到不適，並給一家醫學雜誌寫了一封信，將他的症狀與味精聯絡起來。他的信將改變世界與味精的關係，在未來40年內引發國際恐慌、科學偏見和聳人聽聞的新聞報道。那麼，這種調味品是什麼？它對你真的有害嗎？

米老師說

演講者：Sarah E. Tracy

05：11

In 1968， Dr。 Robert Ho Man Kwok felt ill after dinner at a Chinese restaurant。 He wrote a letter detailing his symptoms to a prestigious medical journal， pondering whether his illness had resulted from eating monosodium glutamate— also known as MSG。 Kwok’s connection between his headache and this common seasoning in American Chinese cuisine was just a hunch。

1968年，何文國博士在一家中餐館吃過晚飯後感到不舒服。他給一家著名的醫學雜誌寫了一封信，詳細描述了他的症狀，思考他的疾病是否是由於食用味精引起的。郭的頭痛和這種美式中餐中常見的調味品之間的聯絡只是一種預測。

But his letter would dramatically change the world‘s relationship with MSG， inspiring international panic， biased science， and sensationalist journalism for the next 40 years。 So what is this mysterious seasoning？ Where does it come from， and is it actually bad for you？

但他的信將極大地改變世界與味精的關係，在未來40年內引發國際恐慌、科學偏見和聳人聽聞的新聞報道。那麼這種神秘的調味品是什麼呢？它是從哪裡來的？它真的對你有害嗎？

MSG is a mixture of two simple molecules。 Sodium， which is well-established as an essential part of our diet， and glutamate， a very common amino acid found in numerous plant and animal proteins。 Glutamate plays a key role in our digestion， muscle function， and immune system。 Around the time of Dr。 Kwok’s letter， it had been identified as an important part of our brain chemistry。

味精是兩個簡單分子的混合物。鈉是我們日常飲食的重要組成部分，穀氨酸是許多植物和動物蛋白質中常見的氨基酸。穀氨酸在我們的消化、肌肉功能和免疫系統中起著關鍵作用。在郭博士寫這封信的時候，它被認為是我們大腦化學的重要組成部分。

Our body produces enough glutamate for all these processes， but the molecule is also present in our diet。 You can taste its signature savory flavor in foods like mushrooms， cheese， tomatoes， and broth。

我們的身體為所有這些過程產生足夠的穀氨酸，但這種分子也存在於我們的飲食中。你可以在蘑菇、乳酪、西紅柿和肉湯等食物中品嚐到它特有的風味。

Chasing this rich flavor is what led to MSG’s invention in 1908。 A Japanese chemist named Dr。 Ikeda Kikunae was trying to isolate the molecule responsible for a unique flavor he called “umami，” meaning “a pleasant， savory taste。”

1908年，一位名叫池田菊奈博士的日本化學家試圖分離出一種獨特風味的分子，他稱之為“鮮味”，意思是“一種令人愉悅的美味”

Today， umami is recognized as one of the five basic tastes in food science。 Each basic taste is produced by unique molecular mechanisms that can’t be replicated by combining other known tastes。 In the case of umami， those mechanisms arise when we cook or ferment certain foods， breaking down their proteins and releasing amino acids like glutamate。 But Ikeda found a savory shortcut to producing this chemical reaction。

如今，鮮味被公認為食品科學的五大基本口味之一。每一種基本的味道都是由獨特的分子機制產生的，這種機制無法透過結合其他已知的味道來複制。就鮮味而言，當我們烹調或發酵某些食物，分解它們的蛋白質並釋放穀氨酸等氨基酸時，這些機制就產生了。但池田找到了一條產生這種化學反應的捷徑。

By isolating high quantities of glutamate from a bowl of noodle broth and combining them with another flavor enhancer like sodium， he created a seasoning that instantly increased the umami of any dish。

透過從一碗麵條湯中分離出大量穀氨酸鹽，並將其與另一種增味劑（如鈉）結合，他創造了一種調味品，可以立即增加任何菜餚的鮮味。

The result was a major success。 By the 1930s， MSG was a kitchen staple across most of Asia； and by the mid-20th century， it could be found in commercial food production worldwide。 So when Dr。 Kwok‘s letter was published， the outrage was immediate。 Researchers and citizens demanded a scientific enquiry into the popular additive。

結果是取得了重大成功。到了20世紀30年代，味精已成為亞洲大部分地區廚房的主食；到了20世紀中葉，它可以在全世界的商業食品生產中找到。因此，當郭博士的信發表時，人們立即感到憤怒。研究人員和市民要求對這種流行的新增劑進行科學調查。

On one hand， this wasn’t unreasonable。 The substance hadn’t been tested for toxicity， and its health impacts were largely unknown。 However， it’s likely many people weren’t responding to a lack of food safety regulation， but rather the letter’s title： “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome。”

一方面，這並不是不合理的。該物質尚未進行毒性測試，其對健康的影響也基本未知。然而，很可能許多人並沒有對食品安全監管的缺失做出迴應，而是對信的標題“中餐館綜合症”做出了迴應

While MSG was commonly used in numerous cuisines， many Americans had longstanding prejudices against Asian eating customs， labeling them as exotic or dangerous。 These stigmas fueled racially biased journalism， and spread fear that eating at Chinese restaurants could make you sick。

雖然味精在許多菜餚中被廣泛使用，但許多美國人對亞洲的飲食習慣有著長期的偏見，將其貼上“異國情調”或“危險”的標籤。這些汙名助長了帶有種族偏見的新聞報道，傳播了人們對在中國餐館吃飯會讓人生病的恐懼。

This prejudiced reporting extended to numerous studies about MSG and umami， the results of which were much less conclusive than the headlines suggested。 For example， when a 1969 study found that injecting mice with MSG caused severe damage to their retina and brain， some news outlets jumped to proclaim that eating MSG could cause brain damage。 Similarly， while some studies reported that excess glutamate could lead to problems like Alzheimer’s， these conditions were later found to be caused by internal glutamate imbalances， unrelated to the MSG we eat。

這種偏見的報道延伸到了許多關於味精和鮮味的研究，其結果遠不如標題所暗示的結論性。例如，當1969年的一項研究發現給老鼠注射味精會對他們的視網膜和大腦造成嚴重損害時，一些新聞媒體跳出來宣稱食用味精會導致大腦損害。類似地，儘管一些研究報告過量的穀氨酸可能導致類似阿爾茨海默病的問題，但後來發現這些疾病是由內部穀氨酸失衡引起的，與我們吃的味精無關。

These headlines weren‘t just a product of prejudiced reporters。 Throughout the late 60s and early 70s， many doctors also considered “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” to be a legitimate ailment。 Fortunately， today’s MSG researchers no longer see the additive in this discriminatory way。

這些頭條新聞不僅僅是偏見記者的產物。在整個60年代末70年代初，許多醫生還認為“中國餐館綜合症”是一種合法的疾病。幸運的是，今天的味精研究人員不再以這種歧視性的方式看待新增劑。

Recent studies have established the vital role glutamate plays in our metabolism， and some researchers even think MSG is a healthier alternative to added fat and sodium。 Others are investigating whether regular consumption of MSG could be linked to obesity， and it is possible that binging MSG produces headaches， chest pains， or heart palpitations for some people。 But for most diners， a moderate amount of this savory seasoning seems like a safe way to make life a little tastier。

最近的研究證實了穀氨酸鹽在我們的新陳代謝中起著至關重要的作用，一些研究人員甚至認為味精是補充脂肪和鈉的更健康的替代品。其他人正在調查是否經常食用味精可能與肥胖有關，對一些人來說，大量食用味精可能會導致頭痛、胸痛或心悸。但對大多數食客來說，適量的這種美味的調味品似乎是讓生活更美味的安全方法。

演講題目: What is MSG, and is it actually bad for you?