新研究：吃味精对健康有害？建议你看看最新的科普

The myth that monosodium glutamate (MSG) is somehow bad for you is one of those food misconceptions that just. Won't. Die.

味精对人体有害的说法是对食物存在的众多误解之一，它并不会致死。

Objections to this chemical range from the vague, arm-waving "unhealthy" label all the way to it being a damaging neurotoxin that makes you addicted to fast food.

反对食用这种化学物质的原因有自始至终贴着的含糊的“不健康的”标签，以及它是一种破坏性的神经毒素，会使你对快餐上瘾。

It seems that no matter how many times experts communicate the truth about this harmless food additive, you'll still find plenty of savoury snacks and instant ramen in your local grocery store boasting their "MSG-free" status.

似乎不管专家说多少次这种食品添加剂无害，你还是能在当地杂货店里找到许多自诩“无味精的”可口小吃和速食拉面。

Which is why even in 2019, the latest YouTube video released by Canadian dietitian Abbey Sharp is as relevant as ever. In less than 15 minutes, she breaks down a bunch of total nonsense about MSG, explaining the science in a simple, engaging manner.

这就是为什么即使在2019年加拿大营养学家艾比·夏普在YouTube上发布的最新视频仍然和以往一样是有关味精的。在不到15分钟的视频中，她用简单又有趣的方式解释了有关味精的科学研究，并推翻了相关谬论。

Sharp's video is actually a response to a 2008 viral video "The Truth about MSG", in which chiropractor and nutritionist Vincent Bellonzi makes a series of scientific-sounding claims on how MSG is a toxin that "excites the reward system", makes people fat and unable to control their emotions, and much more.

夏普的视频实际上是对2008年疯传的“关于味精的真相”的一个视频的回应。在这个视频中，脊椎按摩师兼营养学家文森特·贝伦兹发表了一系列听起来符合科学规律的主张，他表示，味精是一种可以“刺激奖励系统”的毒素，使人们发胖，还使人们无法控制他们的情绪等等。

As a quick recap, here's what you need to know about MSG. Naturally occurring in many protein-rich foods is glutamic acid, a chemical widely used by living organisms to make proteins in the body.

简单概括一下你需要了解的关于味精的内容。谷氨酸原本就存在于许多富含蛋白质的食物中，它是生物体用来在体内合成蛋白质的一种被广泛应用的化学物质。

When you dissolve this acid or one of its salts in water, you end up with negative ions called glutamates, responsible for that savoury umami flavour. Classic examples of naturally glutamate-rich foods are canned tomatoes, soy sauce, and aged cheese.

当你在水中溶解这种酸或它的盐类物质的时候，你就会得到谷氨酸盐负离子，就是它使食物产生鲜味的。原本就富含谷氨酸的典型食物有罐装西红柿、酱油和陈年奶酪。

MSG attackers will claim it's not the same as the 'natural' stuff, but this is false: when dissolved, on a chemical level the flavour-enhancing action of MSG is exactly the same as that of the 'natural' glutamate in, say, tomato sauce.

味精抨击者可能会说，它与“天然的”物质不同，但这是错误的：从化学的角度讲，当味精溶解后，它的增味作用与番茄酱中的“天然”谷氨酸完全相同。