Instant noodles are a real health hazard

Instant noodles difficult to digest
Japanese instant noodles, also known as ramen, are also widely used in this country. However, as a scientific team around the physician Braden Kuo of the Massachusetts General Hospital noted, the instant noodles burden the body more than previously thought. The noodles are a "real danger" for the health.

In a series of experiments, the doctor Braden Kuo from Massachusetts General Hospital administered a subject ramen noodles. In addition, the subject swallowed a small minison that documented the digestive process. In the second test run, the person ate freshly prepared pasta noodles. Again, the camera was sent on the digestive journey.

Hard to digest: Japanese instant noodles, also called ramen. Image: vitals - fotolia

"Although the experiment is not a study according to scientific standards, it is relevant in its statement," emphasizes study leader Kuo. Because the recordings showed that the consumption is "worrying" in comparison. It was found that "heavily processed foods" processed with many chemical additives are potentially harmful to the health of their effects. These include, for example, the antioxidant E319 or glutamate, which is contained in many instant foods.

In the video large differences in digestion could be observed. After one to two hours, the instant noodles were significantly less processed than the fresh pasta noodles. "We've seen the stomach contract again and again to digest the noodles," says Kuo. The pasta noodles were digested very quickly and made the stomach no problems.

A very scientific study already pointed to the health consequences of the frequent consumption of instant noodles in 2014. The study by the US Nutrition Society came to the conclusion that the consumption of such instant noodles can be dangerous, especially for women. As the scientists in the journal "Journal of Nutrition" report, the frequent consumption of such meals carries the risk of developing the so-called metabolic syndrome.

The researchers studied the eating habits of more than 10,700 South Korean men and women between the ages of 19 and 64 for the study. Part of the volunteers preferred to eat rice, fish, vegetables and fruit. The other part, however, mainly of meat, fried and fast food, including instant noodles. New to the scientists was that there is a connection between the consumption of such meals and heart disease. For example, women who ate instant noodles more than twice a week had a significantly higher chance of developing the metabolic syndrome. Their risk increased by 70 percent.

The "deadly quartet" The metabolic syndrome, also known as the "deadly quartet", is characterized by abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood lipid levels and insulin resistance, which is the main cause of type 2 diabetes. These factors in turn can promote diseases such as atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis), coronary heart disease or heart attack. Even among the younger, leaner women who did a lot of sports, the researchers found that the connection between the consumption of instant noodles and the risk of metabolic syndrome was found in the magazine "livescience".

High levels of saturated fat and sodium Hyun Shin's team at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston has blamed a high level of saturated fat and sodium. In addition, the noodles contain a lot of calories and simple carbohydrates. The reason why this relationship does not exist in men does not seem to be clear. The researchers are based on different dispositions of the sexes, as regards the sex hormones and metabolism. (Ad)