According to a study conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), instant noodle consumption links to heart risk, particularly in women. 

The researchers conducted their study in South Korea, using 10,700 people ranging in age from 19 to 64, by observing two distinct dietary patterns among their subjects – one a more traditional diet and one high in meat and processed food, including Ramen. 

While neither overall dietary pattern was associated with metabolic syndrome, there was a link between metabolic syndrome and instant noodle consumption. The study also displayed an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in women. 

Can Ramen Noodles make you sick? 

While it’s no secret that Ramen has an immense amount of sodium, the main culprit, however, is the noodles themselves. According to Dr. Braden Kuo, Director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard University, it’s extremely difficult for our bodies to digest those 69-cent, preservative-filled noodles. 

Apparently, Ramen is jam-packed with TBHQ, a preservative found in Chicken McNuggets and Reese’s. TBHQ extends the shelf-life of fatty foods, making them even harder to digest. 

But don’t freak out just yet. If you’re a college student, or if you just genuinely like Ramen, there is still hope.

"Once or twice a month is not a problem, but a few times a week really is," Dr. Frank B. Hu, a Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard, told The New York Times. 

So, as long as you’re not shoveling it in on a daily basis, you should be fine.