Japan's love of ramen tempered by mortality warning

Dec 01, 2019 | News On Japan

Dec 01, 2019 (Japan Times) - Slurping down a steaming hot bowl of ramen is a great way to warm the soul on a cold winterâ€™s day but overindulging in the dish could prove deadly, a British medical paper has warned.

In a paper published on BioMed Central in September, three Japanese researchers from the Jichi Medical University School of Medicine in Tochigi Prefecture found a direct link between the prevalence of ramen restaurants and stroke mortality in certain parts of the country.

Following up on this issue, the Asahi Shimbun said that Tochigi, Akita, Aomori, Yamagata, Niigata and Kagoshima prefectures â€” all famed for their ramen offerings â€” were by far the worst offenders.

The newspaper also noted that households in these regions were also more likely to use more salt, which causes high blood pressure.

According to a survey conducted by the General Affairs Agency, Yamagata Prefecture consumes more salt than any other part of the country.

Although this report has the potential to affect Japanâ€™s love of ramen, social media was awash with comments from people who appeared more likely to go into denial than give up slurping down a bowl of noodles on a regular basis.

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