If you grew up in Nigeria in the late 1990s or early 2000s, you probably heard someone warn against MSG. Whether it was your mum, an auntie, or a neighbour, the message was always the same: “Do not cook with that white seasoning; it causes high blood pressure,” or “That thing is poisonous.” Many families stopped using MSG altogether, convinced it was harmful, even though few people could explain where the warning came from. It became one of those beliefs everyone accepted because everyone else believed it.

As the years went by, the same warnings were repeated over and over again.

“MSG causes high blood pressure.”It will damage your brain.”It is not good for your body.”

The fear followed us beyond our homes. We were often warned to be careful with food sellers too. If a roadside vendor’s jollof, noodles or soup tasted unusually delicious, someone would say, “They must have poured plenty of Ajinomoto inside.” Somehow, food that tasted too good became suspicious.

For years, MSG was blamed whenever someone complained of a headache after eating. If a meal had an unusually rich, savoury taste, the same joke would follow: “They used plenty of MSG.” After hearing these warnings repeatedly, many of us accepted them as fact. The belief became a kitchen myth passed from one generation to another, rarely questioned and deeply rooted in how we thought about food.

But where did this fear come from, and what does the science actually say?

Why the fear of MSG became common knowledge

Monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, is a flavour enhancer. It contains glutamate, an amino acid that occurs naturally in many foods we already eat every day.

Tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and mushrooms contain glutamate. Even breast milk naturally contains glutamate.

In other words, glutamate itself is not something foreign to the human body. The MSG added to food is produced through a fermentation process, similar to how yoghurt, vinegar and some Nigerian fermented foods are made.

The fear of monosodium glutamate (MSG) spread around the world after a 1968 letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine described symptoms after eating at a Chinese restaurant. Although the letter was anecdotal and did not establish that MSG caused those symptoms, it sparked decades of misconceptions that spread into homes across the world, including Nigeria. New England Journal of Medicine

Aproko Doctor — TikTok video One reason the conversation around MSG has resurfaced in Nigeria is a viral video by health educator Aproko Doctor, in which he challenged many of the long-standing myths surrounding the flavour enhancer. The video has reignited public debate, prompting many Nigerians to re-examine beliefs passed down for generations.

Also Read: When food preservation goes wrong

Subsequent scientific research has not confirmed MSG as the cause of the widespread health problems it was blamed for. Major food safety authorities, including the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organisation (WHO) through the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), have assessed the safety of MSG when used in food. FDA

The misconception travelled across the world, including Nigeria, where it became accepted kitchen wisdom.

These are some of the misconceptions many Nigerians still believe:

“MSG causes high blood pressure.”

There is no good evidence that the small amounts of MSG typically used in cooking cause high blood pressure in healthy people.

Like table salt, MSG contains sodium, so moderation is still sensible. However, MSG actually contains less sodium than ordinary table salt by weight, which is one reason it is sometimes used to help reduce the overall sodium content of foods while maintaining flavour. EFSA

“MSG causes cancer.”

Major food safety authorities, including the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), consider MSG safe when used as intended in food. There is no verified scientific evidence that MSG causes cancer.

“MSG damages the brain.”

Studies that raised concerns often involved extremely high doses in laboratory animals under conditions that do not reflect how people consume MSG in food. Reviews of human research have not found evidence that the amounts typically consumed harm the brain. PubMed — MSG safety review

Why the myth has lasted so long

The belief that MSG is harmful has survived for decades because it was repeated so often that it eventually became accepted as common knowledge. Children heard it from their parents, parents heard it from older relatives, and the cycle continued without many people stopping to question where the claim originated.

The myth was also reinforced by word of mouth. If someone felt unwell after eating a meal, MSG was often blamed, even when there was no evidence that it was the cause. Stories like these spread much faster than scientific facts because they were personal, memorable, and easy to believe.

Another reason the myth has endured is that many people assume that “natural” ingredients are always safer than those that sound scientific or manufactured. Since monosodium glutamate has a chemical-sounding name, it is often viewed with suspicion, even though glutamate occurs naturally in foods such as tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, and seaweed.

Over time, these repeated warnings became part of everyday culture rather than evidence-based advice. Once a belief becomes deeply rooted in family traditions and daily conversations, it can be surprisingly difficult to change, even when decades of scientific research point to a different conclusion.

Meiza Nigeria