Instant noodles are popular, especially amongst young adults, due to price and convenience.
Research from Baylor now shows that regular consumption of instant noodles cause heart disease and stroke due to a condition called cardiometabolic syndrome.
The study focused mainly on South Korea, because of the region’s high consumption of instant noodles. South Koreans have recently experienced a significant increase in health problems, specifically heart disease.
Baylor’s primary investigator on the study, Hyun Joon Shin, MD, is a clinical cardiology fellow at Baylor University Medical Center and a nutrition epidemiology doctoral student at Harvard School of Public Health.
“While instant noodle intake is greater in Asian communities, the association between instant noodle consumption and metabolic syndrome has not been widely studied,” Dr. Shin said. “I decided to investigate in order to uncover more distinct connections,” he added.
Dr. Shin and his team found that eating instant noodles one to two times a week was associated with cardiometabolic syndrome, which raises risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
Shin found that these results were even more common in women, possibly due to biological differences like hormones and metabolism. Obesity, metabolic syndrome, and eating habits were also factors in the gender gap.
Another possible factor in the difference between genders is the consumption of BPA, which is found in the packaging of the instant noodles. BPA is known to interfere with hormones, especially estrogen.
“This research is significant since many people are consuming instant noodles without knowing possible health risks,” Dr. Shin said. “My hope is that this study can lay a foundation for future research about the health effects of instant noodle consumption,” he added.
The study was published in the Journal of Nutrition.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Can Instant Noodles Lead to Heart Disease, Diabetes and Stroke?” Newswise. Baylor Scott & White, 11 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
2. “Instant Noodle Intake and Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Distinct Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Korea.” Journal of Nutrition. Journal of Nutrition, 25 June 2014. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
3. “Cardiometabolic Syndrome: Pathophysiology and Treatment.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. Current Hypertension Reports, Oct. 2003. Web. 22 Dec. 2014.
