Jakarta, 2 February 2022 - National Nutrition Day enters its 62nd year and the Ministry of Health is campaigning for joint action to prevent stunting and obesity. These two things are still global problems and it is important for all Indonesian families to understand them and apply a regular and healthy diet with balanced nutrition. PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA (Ajinomoto) has played a role in disseminating obesity prevention education by collaborating with PERGIZI PANGAN Indonesia to held a webinar: "Does Umami Really Cause Obesity?"
On the webinar: “Does Umami Really Cause Obesity?” which was held on February 2, 2022, attended by nutrition lecturers, nutrition students and nutritionists totaling 430 participants throughout Indonesia. On this occasion also present Head of PERGIZI PANGAN Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Ir. Hardinsyah, MS that explained scientific facts and the latest research journals regarding umami seasoning so that it can get rid of the negative stigma that umami seasoning such as MSG can cause obesity.
“Anyone is at risk for obesity, from children to adults. In principle, there are many factors that trigger obesity, there are triggers from genetic potential, potential metabolic disorders, or also hormonal imbalances. Now, in this webinar, what I want to highlight is that there are still many assumptions that umami seasoning such as MSG can cause obesity,” said Prof. Hardin.
“There are many research journals such as in China and Vietnam that can prove that the use of MSG does not cause overweight or obesity. These studies started from using animal samples to the most recent one in humans, starting from 2008 to 2013,” he continued.
Another resource person in this webinar, namely Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Sulaeman, MS, a Professor of Food Safety and Nutrition at the Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB, said that MSG or umami seasoning also has benefits such as being able to control appetite, increasing the digestion of protein foods, and being able to increase the production of saliva (saliva) which plays a role in helping the process of digestion of complex compounds in the mouth, so that when they are in the stomach, they are easily absorbed by the body.
"To prevent degenerative diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and hypertension, in order to achieve a healthy life, it is important to pay attention to recommendations from the Indonesian Ministry of Health regarding limiting sugar, salt, fat (GGL) intake," said Prof Ahmad.
“Actually, if we want the food we consume to have a high taste, but also want a low-salt diet, using umami spices such as MSG can be used as a solution. Many studies abroad, such as in Japan, show that the use of MSG can be a low-salt diet strategy. Because, the sodium content in MSG is only 1/3 of the sodium content in ordinary table salt," he continued.
Recognizing the importance of a salt diet for health, Ajinomoto introduced the “Salt Wise” campaign. Grant Senjaya, Head of Public Relations Department PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA explained, "Currently we have a "Bijak Garam" campaign that educates the public about the importance of a low-salt diet and invites Indonesian families to live healthier lives by reducing their intake or use of salt in cooking. One of the factors that make it difficult to reduce salt in cooking is to keep the taste delicious and not bland. This “Salt Wise” campaign can be a smart solution in reducing the use of salt in every dish by maintaining a balanced taste. Reducing salt intake or a low-salt diet can be replaced by using salt with umami spices such as MSG. We also echo the importance of being wise in regulating salt intake through www.dapurumami.com/page/bijak-garam. In addition to information about the importance of a salt diet, we also share tips on how to make low-salt dishes delicious and nutritious, the "Tanya Nutri Expert" rubric so consumers can find out nutritional information directly from the experts and the "Umami Journal" which is an interactive means of sharing tips, recipes, and various culinary info”
Webinar “Does Umami Really Cause Obesity?” held by PERGIZI PANGAN & PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA can be watched again via youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUn_rmBUEpg