From a cheap student’s basic food to a pricey bowl dish soup, noodle dishes are gaining popularity. But they could also bring risks to your health, a new study warns.

U.S. scientists found people who ate noodle dishes two to three times a week - including the Japanese noodle soup dish ramen - had an increased risk of developing cardio metabolic syndrome. This, in turn, raises a person’s likeliness of developing heart disease and other conditions, such as diabetes and stroke.

The findings, published in The Journal of Nutrition, could help people understand better the risks of a worldwide eating habit, said lead study author Hyun Joon Shin.

Dr Shin said instant noodles and ramen appeared to be particularly damaging to women's health. Because ramen consumption is relatively high among Asian populations, the research focused primarily on South Korea, which has the highest instant noodle consumption population in the world.

In recent years, South Koreans have experienced a rapid increase in health problems, specifically heart disease, and a growing number of overweight adults, said Dr Shin. He decided to investigate the connection between noodle consumption and poor health. 

Noodles, like many processed foods, are high in salt - and a diet high in the mineral can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. And earlier this year, Braden Kuo, a specialist from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found the body struggles to digest dried, ramen noodles.

He used a tiny camera to look at the digestion of instant ramen noodles in comparison to the digestion of fresh ones. Many instant ramen noodles, he said, contain the chemical Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), a food additive, which is a bi-product of butane, used in the petroleum industry.

'This research is significant since many people are having instant noodles without knowing possible health risks,' said Dr. Shin. 'My hope is that this study can lay a foundation for future research about the health effects of instant noodle consumption.'

 
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1.What disease are people unlikely to suffer after eating instant noodles?

A Obesity.

B Heart attack.

C Diabetes.

D Insomnia.

解析：选D。D。细节理解题。根据文章第二、五段可知，经常吃方便面或拉面将导致心脏病、糖尿病、肥胖症，但没有提及失眠症，故选D。

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A People like eating instant noodles because of its low prices.

B Few people are aware of the risks of eating instant noodles.

C Only women are fond of eating instant noodles.

D More researches will be conducted on the noodle consumption.

解析：选B。B。推理判断题。根据文章第二段及最后一段可以判断，当前的情况是很多人爱吃方便面或拉面，但很少有人知道吃方便面给健康带来的危害。故选B。

3.Why did the research focus on South Korea at the begining?

A South Korea has the largest population in Asia.

B South Koreans eat the most instant noodles in the world.

C South Korea has the largest number of overweight adults in the world.

D South Korean women suffer most from instant noodles and ramen.

解析：选B。B。细节理解题。根据文章第四段the research focused primarily on South Korea, which has the highest instant noodle consumption population in the world可知，韩国消费方便面的人数在世界上占第一。因此这项研究首先集中在韩国进行。

4.What was Braden Kuo’s discovery?

A Instant noodles are processed food containing high salt.

B It is hard for the body to digest instant noodles or ramen.

C Instant ramen noodles contain a harmful food addictive.

D The mineral in instant noodles increases the risk of heart disease.

解析：选C。C。细节理解题。根据文章第六段… contain the chemical Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), a food additive… butane, used in the petroleum industry可知，有很多拉面产品中检测出了叔丁基对苯二酚，这种化学物质是丁烷的副产品，是石油化工产品，竟被当作食品添加剂使用。

5.What is the significance of the research?

A It will benefit future research of heath risks of eating instant noodles.

B It will stop people from eating instant ramen noodles as they are harmful.

C It will help people know the health effects of eating instant ramen noodles.

D It will help people make choices when they eat instant ramen noodles.

解析：选A。A。推理判断题。文章最后一段说…this study can lay a foundation for future research about…，据此可知，这项研究对于方便面影响健康的研究打下了基础，由此判断，这项研究将对未来的研究有很大的帮助。