- Higher habitual MSG intake was associated with increased odds of food addiction (adjusted OR 2.75) and rising prevalence across intake tertiles.
- Greater MSG consumption correlated with increased binge eating severity and higher YFAS symptom counts, indicating a dose response relationship.
- BMI and perceived stress independently predicted compulsive eating outcomes; models adjusted for confounders achieved acceptable discrimination (AUC 0.71).
PLoS One. 2026 Nov 4;21(11):e0360433. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360433. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a widely used flavor enhancer, increases food palatability and may influence eating behavior. Although considered safe from a toxicological perspective, its potential association with compulsive eating patterns remains unclear. University students are particularly vulnerable to irregular dietary habits and high consumption of ultra-processed foods.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 555 Palestinian university students aged 18-30 years. MSG intake was assessed using a composite dietary exposure scale and categorized into tertiles (low, moderate, high). Food addiction was measured using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), binge-eating severity using the Binge Eating Scale (BES), and perceived stress using the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4). Logistic regression examined associations between MSG intake and food addiction, while linear regression assessed relationships with binge-eating severity and YFAS symptom counts, adjusting for age, gender, BMI, perceived stress, and academic year.
RESULTS: Food addiction was present in 24.7% of participants and increased across MSG tertiles (15.7% low vs. 33.0% high; p < 0.001). High MSG intake was associated with increased odds food addiction (adjusted OR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.63-4.65, p < 0.001). Higher MSG consumption was associated with greater binge-eating severity (β = 1.25, p < 0.001) and increased YFAS symptom counts, indicating a dose-response relationship. BMI and perceived stress were independent predictors of both outcomes. The adjusted model showed acceptable discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.71).
CONCLUSIONS: Higher MSG intake was associated with increased food addiction symptoms and binge-eating severity among university students, suggesting frequent consumption of flavor-enhanced foods is a correlate of reward-driven eating behaviors, warranting further investigation.
PMID:42981261 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0360433
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