Like many other poor college students, ramen noodles were a primary line item in my bare bones food budget.
Gross at it sounds to me now, I typically ate ramen soup 3-4 times per week. I loved every. single. bite. No kidding.
At 10 cents per meal, the price was definitely right.
The high amount of synthetically derived monosodium glutamate (MSG) in ramen noodles tasted so good. It tantalized my tastebuds and fooled my body into thinking it was getting nourishment. The sad truth is that it was getting nothing but empty calories, chemicals, and additives.
Now, a new study involving over 10,000 people warns of the dangers of ramen noodles, especially for women, which go far and beyond the metabolism disrupting, hypothalamus frying MSG.
In fact, some of the dangers associated with ramen noodles have nothing to do with the noodles themselves, which means organic ramen noodles eaters are at risk too.
Research on Ramen Dangers
The findings published last week in the peer-reviewed Journal of Nutrition warned that those who consume ramen noodles as little as two times per week are at skyrocketing odds of developing metabolic syndrome with its host of prominent symptoms: obesity (particularly abdominal), diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Women are at an increased risk.
The study bolsters previous research on rats which showed that MSG consumption caused blindness and obesity and studies on mice that demonstrated that MSG intake caused brain lesions on the hypothalamus.
Ramen noodle consumption is high among Asian populations. Consequently, the research of Dr. Hyun Joon Shin MD, a clinical cardiology fellow at Baylor University in Texas and a nutrition epidemiology doctoral student at the Harvard School of Public Health, focused primarily on South Korea, which has the highest per-capita number of instant noodle eaters in the world.
A total of 10,711 adults (54.5% women) ages 19-64 years of age were analyzed, with adjustment for sampling design complexity. The diet of the study participants was assessed by using a 63-item food-frequency questionnaire.
Researchers identified 2 major dietary patterns with the use of principal components analysis: the “traditional dietary pattern”, high in rice, fish, vegetables, fruit, and potatoes, and the “fast-food pattern”, with less rice intake but frequent consumption of soda, fried food, and fast food including instant noodles.
Ramen Contributes to Health Problems
South Koreans have suffered from a rapid increase in health problems in recent years, specifically heart disease and overweight adults. Dr. Shin said:
While instant noodle intake is greater in Asian communities, the association between instant noodle consumption and metabolic syndrome has not been widely studied. I decided to investigate in order to uncover more distinct connections. (1)
Dr. Shin’s findings did indeed uncover a disturbing association between eating instant noodles two or more times a week and the development of cardiometabolic syndrome. This condition raises a person’s likelihood, particularly in biological females, of developing heart disease and other conditions, such as diabetes and stroke. (2)
Dr. Shin said that the gender differences of consuming ramen noodles can likely be attributed to biological differences between the sexes, such as sex hormones and metabolism. The gender gap may also partly be caused by the different eating habits between men and women and variation in the accuracy of food reporting.
BPA in Noodles Packaging a Huge Issue
Another potential factor in the gender difference is a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA), which is used for packaging some ramen noodles brands. Studies have shown that BPA is an estrogen mimicker and endocrine disruptor as it interferes with hormone messaging within the body.
BPA-free packaging is likely no safeguard. Alternative chemicals such as BPS have the same and perhaps even worse hormone-disrupting effects. (3)
Dr. Shin is hopeful that the positive impact of the study on consumers can be substantial considering the popularity of ramen noodles and other instant noodle products. He also said it highlights the importance of understanding the effects of what we feed our bodies:
This research is significant since many people are consuming instant noodles without knowing possible health risks. My hope is that this study can lay a foundation for future research about the health effects of instant noodle consumption. (4)
Do you eat ramen noodles or other instant noodle type products? Will you potentially change your consumption of these products based on this research?
I, for one, am glad I stopped eating ramen noodles a long time ago. I am also thankful that my kids know better than to be eating that kind of stuff at college!
Healthy Ramen Noodles
If you wish to enjoy ramen noodles that are healthy, this recipe for ramen soup could be just what you are looking for as an alternative to unhealthy versions from the store.
Unfortunately, I have yet to come across a brand of commercial ramen noodles that is safe. This includes organic brands, which still have toxic packaging issues.
References and More Information
(1, 4) Instant noodle intake and dietary patterns are associated with distinct cardiometabolic risk factors in Korea
(2) Mayo Clinic: Metabolic Syndrome
(3) BPA free containers just as hazardous
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I don’t consider 2 times a week a little. That’s a LOT!
Yeah that stuff is full of not-food.
Is there a safe ramen noodle product out there, or are all of them bad for you?
I’m wondering if the results would be the same for other pastas, like spaghetti noodles. Are they msg free/bpa free? Do you have any info on this?
Good question. I don’t have any firm answers at this time. Packaging is always an issue though. Nontoxic/biodegradable plastics and boxes and of course glass instead of BPA lined cans are best.
I used to buy these as a good too for lunches, when there’s nothing left in the refrigerator, then I noticed that one of my daughters was only taking it to school. So instead of buying 4/$1.00 back then I would only buy one a month. The noodles are one concern but what concerns me more is the chemicals in the flavours.
Chemical s–t storm in the flavor packet, haven’t touched this stuff since ever.
Sarah,
Thank you for this timely article. My daughter is going off to college in 3 short years. What are some simple recipes/meals that she can put together that will be nutritious, quick and economical? Could you post a few? Thanks for all that you do!
I learned my lesson in college with regard to the ramen noodles. When I was even poorer and on a tighter budget in grad school, I ate eggs basically every single day. The cheapest, complete protein with wonderful healthy fats that is available on a limited budget.
What are some inexpensive alternatives to suit a college or new career budget? Soaked rice and beans along with bone broths?
There are actually many options such as beans, lentils, broth, vegetable sticks in plain hummus, butternut squash, and potatoes.
Funny story because ramen noodles were the catalyst for my husband and I eating real food. We looked at the ingredients on the back of the noodles in our cupboard and realized there wasn’t any actual food inside the package. It was all chemicals and additives! It was mind-blowing and we started eating whole foods that week and researching everything we could. Thank you ramen noodles for being such a terrible product! 😛
I assume you are refering to the seasoning in the noodle package & not just the plain noodles . Some people like to make noodle salads with only the noodles, discarding the seasoning & using salad dressing instead.
The study didn’t distinguish but in my opinion having investigated these products and the labeling, the bad stuff is in the flavor packet. The noodles themselves are not the main issue I don’t believe.
I have a cabbage salad that uses the noodles, toasted. So good! I very happy toss the flavor pack and tell my kids it has dangerous chemicals in it. It’s not in our regular diet – usually for a potluck here and there.
I buy and prepare plain rice noodles a lot. It says that the ingredients are rice and water. I can’t find organic ones. They are easy to cook (boil), then I rinse and pair with homemade bone broth…. But I wonder if they are okay for health?
Sarah, You are my fave blogger. Thank you bunches.
Jagrati
The question would be … how are they packaged and do you use any type of flavor packet with them? The flavor packet is where all the baddies are. Make your own sauce and ensure the packaging is nontoxic and you are good to go 🙂 You are using with a homemade bone broth which is awesome!
Be aware that rice noodles contain arsenic because rice contains arsenic. To view specific details on how much arsenic is in various forms of rice and popular rice products, visit this website https://www.motherjones.com/files/finalarsenicembargo91912.pdf. Namaste.
I knew it was empty calories- didnt realize it was worse than that.
My kid brother (who happens to live in Tokyo) eats at least one of these things everyday. He’s addicted to them. 🙁
NEVER!!!! EVER!!!
I used to eat 10 to 15 times a week
So glad I started cutting back! I still get cravings for it when it gets cold outside. Gonna have to figure out a better homemade version (thought I doubt it will be ready in just 3 minutes)
Just got your email and at 10 min later cam across another article about MSG. You may want to read it. I was not expecting they put MSG in fruits.
http://wakeup-world.com/2014/08/22/3-types-of-foods-you-probably-didnt-know-have-msg/
I stopped eating them when I saw the YouTube of someone’s undigested stomach full of ramen. Don’t know how many HOURS later it was filmed, but impressive!
Making ramen noodles is a long-standing tradition in Japanese (and possibly Chinese) culture dating back a hundred years. Please help your readers distinguish between the abominable, cheap, instant products known as Ramen Noodles made by Maruchen and the traditional kind that are wholesome and homemade. There are a few times in the article where it’s hard to tell that it’s just the cheap product being discussed and not the entire line of cuisine!
My brother and I basically survived on those for 2 weeks while my parents were on a cruise…(we spent all our food money on DVD’s/computer stuff). Of course neither of us actually used the powdered seasoning. I ate my noodles with papaya seed dressing and he would make his own broth with eggs and sun dried tomatoes.
I’m proud to say I made it through college without once eating ramen though! Polenta was my poor food of choice…