Death by Ramen Noodles?

Death by Ramen Noodles?

You know the stuff I am talking about... that package with the hard clump of dried noodles that comes in packs of 30 for $5. You also know that at least once in your lifetime you have had these crazy noodles and ate them for a meal in place of a lunch or dinner. (Me too!) 

Well, those instant, beloved cheap meals have been linked to heart attacks and diabetes. (Back away from the Ramen noodles!)

A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that ramen, along with other instant noodle products, may increase a person's risk of cardiometabolic syndrome- a risk factor for severe cardiovascular disease and stroke- and it is more prone to affect women. 

So of course researchers looked at the data of 10,711 adults (you know, to be exact!) between the ages of 19 and 64, collected from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Exam. Survey from 2007-2009.  The study shows that eating instant noodles (i.e. ramen, lo mein, glass, Thai, or other) twice or more a week were associated with cardiometabolic syndrome- which is a collection of abnormalities affecting the body's cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic systems. 

The kicker is that they could not diagnosis a specific cause of the problem, but researchers believe that it stems from the fact that most instant noodles come packaged in Styrofoam, which contains BPA, a known hormone disruptor- which could explain why women were more affected during their studies. But the Styrofoam is just the beginning- those babies also include tons of unhealthy ingredients- sorry to burst your bubble! They include MSG, TBHQ (chemical preservative tertiary- butylhydroquinone) and that is just the chemical aspects and does not even dive into the saturated fat that you find in the package!

Where do you think that highest per-capita number of instant noodle consumers in the world resides?  Well, it is not America- but South Korea.  This is where researchers focused their studies and found that some long term affects from instant noodle consumption are heart disease, obesity and other health problems. Studies were also done showing that the U.S. ranked 6th globally in instant noodle sales (source: World Instant Noodles Association- I kid you NOT!) showing that America accounted for 4,300 billion units sold in 2013- EEK! 

All I have to say is, I know these instant noodle packages are cheap and easy but BACK AWAY FROM THE RAMEN!!!  Put together a side of some brown rice and add some chicken and vegetables and I guarantee it will be twice as flavorful and BETTER for you than the Ramen! (and guess what, it won't cost you an arm and leg either!)

JUST SAY NO TO RAMEN!

A Campaign to save the Heart!

~KEL