You Might Want to Rethink that Next Bowl of Ramen Noodles
Most everyone can say they’ve eaten a bowl of instant ramen noodles at one point or another. The inexpensive and filling meals are a favorite amongst college students and others looking to get a quick, cheap meal and have been popular for quite some time.
However, a new study warns that consuming the beloved noodles too often could have dire effects on your health.
American scientists found that people who ate the noodle dishes, which include the most popular brand Top Ramen, two to three times a week increased the likelihood they would develop cardiometabolic syndrome. If that happens, a person’s risk of contracting diabetes, developing heart disease or having a stroke greatly increases.
MailOnline reports that the study was published to The Journal of Nutrition and could possibly shed new light on the risks of the worldwide dietary habit, the study’s lead author Dr. Hyun Joon Shin said.
“Although instant noodle is a convenient and delicious food, there could be an increased risk for metabolic syndrome given [the food’s] high sodium, unhealthy saturated fat and glycemic loads,” Shin said.
Since ramen consumption is higher in Asian populations than others, Shin’s research on behalf of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital in Texas focused primarily on South Korea, which has the highest rate of consumption out of any other nation in the world. The study examined the connection between noodle consumption and poor health, finding that women are actually at a higher risk than men from eating too much ramen.
“This research is significant since many people are consuming instant noodles without knowing possible health risks,” Shin said.
Recently, South Koreans have experienced a rapid increase in health problems like heart disease and have seen an increasing amount of overweight adults, according to Shin.
Many instant noodles, such as ramen, have a high content of salt, which everybody knows too much salt can increase your chances of heart attack or stroke. However, Shin also noted that it could be the presence of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) – used to package noodles in Styrofoam containers. It could also be the reason women are more affected by the noodles. Studies have shown that BPA interferes with the way that hormones send messages through the body, specifically estrogen, according to Shin.
In 2012, Dr. Braden Kuo, a gastrointestinal specialist from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, was able to prove that the body has a hard time digesting instant noodles. Using a tiny camera, he was able to look at the digestive activity of instant ramen noodles compared to fresh noodles and found the body struggles with the instant variety.
After his experiment was concluded, Kuo said: “The most striking thing about our experiment when you looked at a time interval, say in one or two hours, [was that] processed ramen noodles were less broken down than homemade ramen noodles.”
Kuo noted that many instant ramen noodles also contain the chemical Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), a food additive that is a bi-product of butane, used in the petroleum industry.
While Shin was able to specifically define what causes the increased health risks, he hopes that his research will help people maintain a healthier lifestyle.
“My hope is that this study can lay a foundation for future research about the health effects of instant noodle consumption.”
Maybe you should think twice before cracking open that pouch of flavored Ramen, it just might end up being a death sentence.
Article Source: http://madworldnews.com/rethink-ramen-noodles/
Image Source: http://korea.ginsengteastore.com/store/itemstore/kt06011/kt06011e.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Likelihood (n.) ~ the condition of being likely or probable
2. Contract (v.) ~ to acquire, incur, or be affected by a disease
3. Syndrome (n.) ~ a group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease
4. On behalf of (idiom) ~ for the benefit or interest of
5. Rapid (adj.) ~ moving, acting, or occuring with great speed
6. Interfere (v.) ~ to be or create a hindrance
7. Struggle (v.) ~ to have difficulty doing something
8. Interval (n.) ~ an amount of time between events
9. Additive (n.) ~ a substance added in small amounts to something
10. Bi-product (n.) ~ a product of a chemical reaction or industrial process which differs from the desired product
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. How often do you eat instant ramen?
2. Are you aware of the negative effects of instant ramen to your health? Give examples of health risk mentioned in the article.
3. Why do you think instant ramen is so popular even though most people are aware that it’s bad for their health?
4. Would you stop eating instant ramen? Why?
