Instant Noodles Tied To Heart Risk, In Absence Of Moderation

Researchers in South Korea recently conducted a study of a large sample (10,711 subjects) of the Korean population and found that women who ate instant noodles at least twice a week were 68 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome ("a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels — that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes").

A corresponding effect was not found in men, but the paper's senior author, Dr. Frank B. Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard, suggests that this may be attributed to more accurate reporting by women, or the increased sensitivity of diet amongst post-menopausal women.

What does this mean for you?

Probably very little, as you are hopefully not eating instant noodles several times a week. Without getting into the ugly business of maligning the legacy of instant noodles, we hope you'll take this study as a sign that indulging in your Cup Noodles (or any of the million other varieties) sparingly is the best way to go, rather than making it an integral part of your diet. 

"Once or twice a month is not a problem," Dr. Hu told The New York Times. "But a few times a week really is."

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Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.