Instant noodles — those cheap, convenient dietary staples of college students and young adults — contain substances that can increase your heart risk, according to a surprising new Harvard study.
The findings, based on a study of South Korean women, found that ramen noodles can cause metabolic changes, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar levels that put them at risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes, the
LiveScience Website reports.
"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," said researcher Hyun Shin, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
To reach their conclusions, Shin and his colleagues at Baylor University and Harvard analyzed the health and diet of nearly 11,000 adults in South Korea between ages 19 to 64. The results showed women who reported eating instant noodles twice a week or more had a higher risk of metabolic syndrome than those who ate ramen less, or not at all.
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The study was published in the Journal of Nutrition.
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