Monosodium glutamate, or MSG — a food additive that is often found in Asian cuisine — has had something of a negative reputation over the last 60 years. Some food experts insist that's unfair.

Monosodium L-glutamate in soup reduces subsequent energy intake from high-fat savoury food in overweight and obese women. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26455957/ Moneim WMA, et al. (2018).

In 1908, a professor from Japan named Kikunae Ikeda figured out how to bring out glutamate from the broth. He also found that it was glutamate that made the soup taste savory. He then filed a ...