Monosodium glutamate may help control blood pressure | Press

Reducing the amount of sodium in your diet is one of the main ways to control blood pressure. See how monosodium glutamate can help.

São Paulo, August 2015 – The Windsor Barra Hotel in Rio de Janeiro hosted, on Thursday, August 13, the XXIII Congress of the Brazilian Society of Hypertension, the country’s leading event on blood pressure. The first day of the meeting featured the symposium “5th taste and Monosodium Glutamate: important allies for sodium reduction,” presented by Dr. Félix Reyes, Professor of Food Toxicology at the Department of Food Science (DCA/UNICAMP).

At the symposium, participants learned how monosodium glutamate, the main substance responsible for umami—the fifth basic taste of the human palate—can be used as an ally in reducing sodium intake. This is possible because “the additive provides a pleasant flavor and makes people consume a smaller amount of sodium chloride, since it contains one-third of the sodium found in table salt,” said Reyes. For example, “if we use one teaspoon of salt to cook rice, we can start using ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of monosodium glutamate. That way, the flavor acceptance remains the same, but the sodium content is reduced.”

Salt consumption in Brazil is a serious issue. Currently, its per capita intake is approximately twelve grams, representing 4.7 grams of sodium per day—twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, 75% of this consumption comes from table salt itself, “that is, most of the sodium we consume comes from the salt we use to prepare food at home,” he explains.

Regarding the amount of salt used by the food industry, the professor explains: “According to the Ministry of Health, more than seven thousand tons of sodium chloride have already been removed from the production of processed foods. This shows that the industry is adapting to this new scenario. However, it is extremely important for Brazilians to learn to control the use of table salt, both when cooking and at the table. Combining it with monosodium glutamate can be a helpful tool in changing this habit,” encourages the specialist.

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Learn how to reduce sodium in your meals with an interactive game developed by Portal Umami. In it, you will discover the best way to use monosodium glutamate in simple everyday dishes, such as rice and beans, making Brazilians’ favorite combination even healthier and tastier with the umami taste.

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main Umami substances. The two main characteristics of Umami are increased salivation and the lingering taste that remains for a few minutes after eating. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.