November 3/Washington/Chemical & Chemistry -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Ajinomoto Company have announced a joint research project to explore whether the regular inclusion of dietary sodium glutamate (MSG) used to enhance the taste of foods, has beneficial effects on eating behavior and body weight management. The trial, which will be conducted by ARS' Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC), will assess in overweight women whether adding sodium glutamate to foods facilitates the control of appetite and caloric intake, and prevents body weight rebound following a period of moderate energy restriction and weight loss.
According to Dr. Kevin Laugero of WHNRC, "For some people, long term improvements in eating behavior and body weight are difficult to maintain, and the mechanisms that explain this fact are poorly understood."