The March 12 Bilingual page article, "Japanese men love their men more than their women," raises the awareness of ramen shops in Japan and mentions their health risks. It states that Japanese men will stand in line for hours for their beloved ramen.
The article also states that one out of two Japanese men between the ages of 40 and 74 have been diagnosed with, or are in the preliminary stages of having metabolic syndrome. And the last paragraph states that a ramenya (ramen shop) has the highest risk of cancer and earliest mortality rate of all food businesses.
In my opinion, this article was very vague on why ramen is such a destroyer of health. The article provides no proof or evidence concerning which part of ramen is unhealthy, or why it is made with such fattening and salty ingredients.
Would not McDonald's or Krispy Kreme Doughnuts have an earlier mortality rate than ramen shops?
If, indeed, eating ramen leads to a much higher risk of cancer in the population, then why has this problem not been recognized more thoroughly? More awareness and further examination of the heath risks of ramen should be brought to the attention of the general public.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.