Popular 'comfort' food linked to 'silent killer' as new study reveals major side effects

A much-loved comfort food popular with students, office employees and those battling a busy schedule has this week been linked to a 'silent killer'.

Previously considered by many as a budget-friendly, versatile in flavour option that is readily available in most grocery stores, these convenient snacks were once praised for offering a quick and easy alternative for a full-fledged meal.

On top of these former favourable attributes, these savvy snacks are easy to store and boast an extremely long shelf life - and even better, they take just a few minutes to prepare, requiring only hot water to fill you up.

If you haven't guessed it yet, we are, of course, talking about instant noodles.

Over the years, these packeted carbs have sky-rocketed in demand around the world in line with the rise in popularity of Asian foods.

Instant noodles have next to no health benefits (Getty Stock Image)

As we say, however, in light of an alarming new study (cited by The Independent) into what these types of ready meal could be doing to our bodies, there's a chance that the instant noodles rush might slow down.

As a reminder, the noodles in these readily-available recipes are made from wheat flour noodles, and come hand-in-hand with a packet of flavour enhancers, like chicken, curry or vegetable. The high-end versions might even see the likes of dried vegetables and crispy fried garlic included, too.

Why are instant noodles bad for you?

The issue is, however, that most instant noodles are insanely high in salt, serving as much as 600 - 1500mg of sodium per portion. For reference, this is close to, if not above, an adults daily intake.

As well as impacting the heart, extreme sodium consumption has been known to harm a person's kidneys.

On top of these, the noodles being made of refined wheat (as opposed to wholegrains) means that instant meals hardly contain any fibre, which is vital in keeping the digestive system running smoothly.

Instant noodles can affect the digestive system (Getty Stock Image)

Thirdly, instant noodles are painfully low in protein. So, whilst you might feel full after eating a packet due to the carbs, without any fresh products like eggs or meat, you'll be craving your next meal even quicker.

Also missing from instant noodles are important nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, which serve to help the body function properly.

What is the 'silent killer'?

Whilst snacking on the very occasional packet of instant noodles isn't known to cause the body any immediate harm, a combination of all the factors already mentioned on a longer-term scale has been found to result in much more damning health consequences - including bowel cancer.

Branded a 'silent killer' by medics due to its gradual increase in cases - particularly in young people - as well as its difficult to diagnose and wide range of often-unknown symptoms - this condition has become of the most common variations of the disease in both the US and UK.

For several years, experts have linked this rise to an increased reliance on quick and tasty ultra-processed foods.

These snacks have been linked to bowel cancer (Getty Stock Image)

The latest study conducted in South Korea found that regular consumption of instant noodles was also linked to a higher chance of being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome - a group name for conditions which includes this type of cancer, as well as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

In terms of heart issues, this is especially the case because of the packets' sodium content, whilst bowel cancer and diabetes are most closely linked to their low fibre content.

How to make instant noodles healthy?

Experts believe that, like most foods, instant noodles can and should be consumed in proportion.

They add, however, that there are ways to make these dishes much more nutritionally beneficial, without having to sacrifice the taste.

This includes things like adding vegetables to your broth - things like frozen peas, spinach and broccoli - to boost your fibre and vitamin intake.

You could also add a boiled egg or tofu to add to protein and build muscle, and consider leaving out the flavour sachet included to reduce sodium intake.