Can Eating Instant Noodles Often Trigger Stomach Cancer? Fact Check

Instant noodles are often considered an unhealthy food because they contain lots of preservatives. That is what makes these foods often associated with cancer of the digestive system. How does the medical world see that? Check out the full explanation below.
Link between Instant Noodles and Stomach Cancer
Before explaining the link between noodles and cancer, the important thing to understand is what ingredients are in it
By and large, in one pack Instant noodles (about 81 grams) contain 14 grams of total fat and 6.58 grams of saturated fat. These foods include foods that are low in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. Average instant noodles are also high in calories and little nutrition.
In addition, mi instant food is usually preserved with one of the preservatives viz tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) which is difficult for the body to digest and is often found in pesticides. This is what makes noodles take longer to be digested by the digestive system.
In addition, instant noodles are considered dangerous because they contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) or flavoring, which if consumed too often can cause metabolic syndrome.
Also Read: Excessive Consumption of Foods High in Salt, These 11 Effects on the Body
Metabolic syndrome is a health disorder characterized by increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar levels, excess fat in the body, and cholesterol that is far from normal. This condition is generally triggered by the high sodium content and unsaturated fatty acids in instant noodles.
Even though instant noodles can can trigger cancer cells to become active—as is the case with other processed foods—the risk of cancer does not increase immediately. You have to consume it continuously or in large quantities in the long term, then the risk of developing this cancer will increase significantly.
In addition, there is no research that proves that the habit of eating instant noodles is directly related to stomach or stomach cancer.
In the end, eating noodles causing cancer is not true but also not necessarily wrong. One thing is certain, you have to limit its consumption in order to maintain overall health.
The Impact of Eating Instant Noodles Too Often
Apart from being suspected of causing cancer, health experts say there are many other things that can happen if you eat instant noodles too often. The following are various impacts that can occur, including:
1. Affects Brain Health
The dangerous chemical content in instant noodles if consumed too often will continue to accumulate and it is feared that it will affect the health of the brain’s nerve cells. In addition to interfering with its function, these various chemicals are thought to trigger strokes or paralysis.
2. Metabolic disorders
Eating instant noodles too often will also cause metabolic disturbances which can result in weight gain or immune system disorders.
Also Read: Can you eat instant noodles when you have a cold? Check the Explanation Here
3. Obesity
As mentioned before, eating instant noodles too often can lead to weight gain. This is due to the high levels of calories, fat and sodium in instant noodles. The problem is that obesity can progress to a much more serious and deadly condition.
4. Harm Some Body Organs
There are ingredients in instant noodles propylene glycol which can have a bad impact on the heart, kidneys, and liver. These organs are very important for the health of the body and will certainly have a bad impact if they are damaged.
5. Increases the Risk of Hypertension
The high level of sodium in instant noodles can trigger hypertension if consumed in excess. This is because the instant seasoning used has a very high salt content, to be precise around 50-60% of the daily salt requirement.
In fact, the daily salt requirement should not exceed one teaspoon a day.
Also Read: Can Uric Acid Sufferers Eat Instant Noodles? These are the Facts
Tips for Eating Instant Noodles to Be Healthier
The following are some ways you can do to be healthier when consuming instant noodles, including:
- Substitute instant noodle seasoning (shiny sodium spice wrap) for real chicken stock or bone broth.
- To add flavor and texture, you can add pieces of chicken meat.
- Add chopped vegetables as a complement, such as cabbage, mustard greens, carrots, or mushrooms.
Although there has not been research on the impact of eating instant noodles with added healthy foods such as vegetables, the nutritional content contained in them can help smooth bowel movements so that various cancer-triggering carcinogens will not stay in the intestines for long.
In addition, vegetables are also high in antioxidants which can help the body fight the bad exposure to cancer-causing free radicals.
- Anonymous. 2019. Metabolic Syndrome. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10783-metabolic-syndrome. (Accessed 10 February 2023)
- Anonymous. Metabolic Syndrome. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/metabolic-syndrome. (Accessed 10 February 2023)
- Kubala, Jillian. 2018. Are Instant Ramen Noodles Bad for You, or Good?. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ramen-noodles. (Accessed 10 February 2023)
- Methanisa, Katyusha. 2017. Will Eating Instant Noodles Every Single Day Give Me Cancer?. https://www.vice.com/en/article/j55vpp/will-eating-instant-noodles-every-single-day-give-me-cancer. (Accessed 10 February 2023)
- Ray, Harris Nicklya. 2022. What to Know About Ramen Noodles. https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-ramen-noodles. (Accessed 10 February 2023)
DoctorHealthy | © 2023 PT Media Kesehatan Indonesia. Copyright Protected