Aaron Hartman, MDFunctional Medicine Specialist | Clinical Researcher

What are the side effects of coffee flavors?

9 Feb 2024 · 1 min

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Aaron Hartman, MD (speaker) warns that some coffee manufacturers add MSG (monosodium glutamate) as a flavor enhancer (referred to as "umami") to certain coffee products, including some brands and potentially Starbucks. He states MSG is neuroinflammatory, can trigger migraines, and therefore may be harmful for susceptible individuals. The clip focuses on additives in flavored coffee and their possible health effects.

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Another thing that happens in the coffee process is that things like MSG are put into the coffee to actually have a flavor enhancement. Now, some of you may have heard the term umami and certain Asian cultures and restaurants, etc. Umami is a spice they put in, which is just msg. Did you know that? Right. And so a lot of coffee manufacturers and another one in Starbucks I've mentioned before, they actually will do this as a flavor enhancer. So many of you already know about msg, monosiderm glutamate, how it's neuroinflammatory, it's inflammatory for your brain, not necessarily good for you. People with migraines, the MSG really can activate their migraines. This is actually put as a flavor enhancer in some types of brands of coffee.