A Positive Causal Relationship between Noodle Intake and Metabolic Syndrome: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

Summary

This Mendelian randomisation study investigated the causal relationship between noodle consumption and metabolic syndrome risk in South Korean adult cohorts. High noodle intake was associated with poor overall diet quality (elevated energy, sodium, and glycaemic load; reduced micronutrients) and demonstrated a positive causal association with metabolic syndrome and five of its constituent components in the inverse-variance weighted analysis, with robust sensitivity analyses supporting the findings.

Regional applicability

The findings are specific to Asian dietary patterns and may have limited direct applicability to UK populations, where noodle consumption represents a smaller proportion of carbohydrate intake. However, the associations with poor diet quality and metabolic disease could inform UK public health messaging around refined carbohydrate foods and their displacement of nutrient-dense alternatives.

Key measures

Noodle intake (categorised as low <130 g/day vs high ≥130 g/day); metabolic syndrome status; blood pressure; lipid profiles; glycaemic markers; abdominal obesity; dietary quality indicators (macronutrient composition, micronutrient intake, glycaemic index, glycaemic load)

Outcomes reported

The study examined the causal relationship between noodle intake and the risk of metabolic syndrome and its components (hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, abdominal obesity) using Mendelian randomisation. Both observational associations and genetically-informed causal estimates were reported.

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