Ever since monosodium glutamate was discovered more than 100 years ago, there's been a lot of talk about it, but it's mostly negative.

自从味精在100多年前被发现以来，围绕它有许多话题，但基本上都是负面的。

A new study published in the American journal of nutrition found that replacing some salt with MSG can help lower blood pressure.

发表在《美国营养杂志》上的一项新研究发现，用味精代替一些盐有助于降低血压。

Dr. Taylor c. Wallace, an associate professor in the department of nutrition and food studies at George mason university, combed through data on dietary habits from the national nutrition and health survey.

美国乔治梅森大学营养与食品研究系副教授泰勒·C·华莱士博士研究团队对美国国民营养与健康调查涉及饮食习惯的数据展开梳理分析。

It found that replacing some of the salt in some foods with MSG reduced total sodium intake by 7 to 8 percent, helping the public meet the recommended daily maximum sodium intake of 2.3 grams or less.

结果发现，用味精代替某些食物中的部分食盐，可使总钠摄入量降低7%至8%，有助大众实现健康专家推荐的“每日最大钠摄入量应在2.3克以下”目标。

Monosodium glutamate contains only about 12 percent of the sodium found in table salt, the researchers said.

研究人员表示，味精钠含量只有12%左右，仅为食盐中钠含量的1/3。

In addition, monosodium glutamate can also increase the flavor of food.

此外，味精还可增加食物风味。

Because the nucleotides and glutamate ions in MSG have the effect of "enhancing saltiness", if MSG replaces part of the salt, the salt intake can be reduced by 40%, and the food flavor is basically not affected.

由于味精中的核苷酸和谷氨酸离子具有“增强咸味”作用，如果以味精替代部分食盐，可使食盐摄入量降低40%，而且食物风味基本不会受到影响。

Dr. Wallace said studies have established that excessive salt consumption is a risk factor for high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of everything from vision problems to heart disease and stroke.

华莱士博士表示，多项研究已证实，过量吃盐是高血压一大风险因素，高血压又会增加从视力问题到心脏病和中风的多种疾病风险。

Reducing the amount of salt in the general population has always been tricky because low-salt foods are perceived to taste bad, while high-salt foods such as processed foods are on the rise.

而减少大众食盐摄入量始终非常棘手，原因是人们觉得低盐食物味道差，而腌制食品等高盐食物数量与日俱增。

New research suggests that monosodium glutamate, which replaces some salt, can reduce sodium intake while preserving flavor, thereby lowering blood pressure and protecting heart, brain and overall health.

新研究表明，味精替代一些食盐，可在保持食物风味的前提下，减少钠摄入量，进而降低血压，保护心脑及全身健康。