Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/d3sign
Topics: Health, Food and Drink, Japan
Joe Yates
A team of scientists have issued a grave warning that a tasty bowl of food could actually be the cause of an early death.
Researchers behind a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Ageing have discovered a scary connection between a popular dish and death.
The authors of the paper, from Yamagata University School of Medical Science in Japan, tracked more than 6,500 participants - 2,361 men and 4,385 women - all aged 40 and over.
They were split into four groups depending on how often they tucked into the dish: less than once a month, one to three times a month, once or twice a week, and three or more times a week.
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As for what the meal was, surprisingly, it was ramen - a bowl of noodles in a salty, pork-based broth and usually topped with slices of meat, seaweed and veggies.
It is a staple in Japan, but it has also become a fan favorite in the US, UK, Australia and around the globe.
But despite its popularity, scientists are now warning that slurping down too much ramen may carry deadly consequences.
The results of the experiment were shocking.
Around a third of participants said they ate ramen weekly, with younger men in particular most likely to overindulge. But it also found that these ramen lovers also tended to drink alcohol, smoke, and were more likely to be overweight.
Over an average follow-up period of four-and-a-half years, 145 participants died - 100 from cancer and 29 from heart disease. Alarmingly, the risk of death was higher for men under 70 who ate ramen three or more times a week.
“Ramen noodles and their soup contain high salt content; therefore, frequent intake can lead to high amounts of sodium, which may increase the risk of salt-related diseases, such as stroke and gastric cancer,” researchers explained.
The study also found that people who not only ate ramen frequently but also drank alcohol had a 'significantly higher risk of death' compared to those who ate it in moderation.
It wasn’t just the noodles themselves - finishing off at least half of the salty broth appeared to raise the risks even further.
However, the scientists stressed that their study was observational, meaning it can’t prove that ramen directly causes an early death.
The author's conclusion read: "This study showed that Japanese community residents frequently consume ramen noodles, and high intake is associated with various comorbidities.
"Frequent intake of ramen noodles might be associated with mortality risk in men, aged <70 years and those who consumed ≥50% of the noodle soup and alcohol."