Purpose:
To determine if MSG fed to pregnant females can cross the placenta to the fetus.
Research Institution:
University of Iowa Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics and Biochemistry and the University of Illinois Department of Anatomy
Scientist(s):
R.M. Pitkin, W. Ann Reynolds, L.D. Stegink, L.J. Filer, Jr.
Results Published:
"Glutamate Metabolism and Placental Transfer in Pregnancy," American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1987.
Study Design:
Eight Rhesus monkeys were tested to see if MSG transferred across the placenta after dietary ingestion of MSG.
Study Results:
The tests demonstrated that the placenta is virtually impenetrable to dietary MSG. The fetus is not exposed to elevated blood levels of MSG after adding MSG to food.