Health risk of Ramen noodles

Ramen noodles have become a popular food in college students. However, being a popular dish ramen noodles has also been disparaged for its potential health risks.

“Ramen” always refers to “instant ramen” in many countries and so ramen noodles are also referred as instant noodles. Ramen noodles are dried or precooked noodles that fused with oil and frequently they are sold with a packet of flavoring. Ramen noodles are most popular in Japan and outside of Japan, China is the largest consumer of ramen while Indonesia is the second largest.

A new study has found that students who eat instant ramen noodles frequently are at greater risk of developing chronic diseases. College students who have poor nutritional habits could have long lasting health effects according to an Australian study. Students exacerbate their risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer by consuming these types of foods. Ramen noodles are also high in sodium.

“There seems to be an acceptance out there that getting by on less nutritious food is a typical part of being a university student. But a diet of baked beans and instant noodles is not good enough when health and academic results are at stake,” said by Dr. Danielle Gallegos, who surveyed more than 800 university students along with Kai Wen Ong in Brisbane, Australia.

Nutritional facts of Ramen noodles:

Per 85g package

• Fat: 12g
  • Saturated fat: 6g
• Carbohydrate: 54g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Sugars: 6g
• Protein: 8g
• Minerals
  • Sodium: 1960mg
  • Calcium: 2%
  • Iron: 12 %

Health risk of Ramen noodles:

Ramen noodles are very high in sodium as it is seen from the above nutritional facts. In extreme cases, some brands may have over 3,000 mg of sodium per package. In North America, producers of almost all kind of food tend to put a lot of salt in their recipes for better taste. High sodium levels in the body can cause many heart problems like high blood pressure and hypernatremia. Very high sodium levels in the body can lead to seizures and death.

Monosodium Glutamate is also present in the list of Ramen noodles’s ingredients. Glutamate acts as flavor enhancer in most instant-noodles packages and also in ramen noodles, but it is present only in the soup base. This additive is related with many health concerns like obesity, high tension, nausea and many other problems. Due to this health risks, the soup base which is present in the package is not allowed to use while preparing noodles. However, without soup base, taste is not better but it prevents many health risks.

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