A friend tried to warn me off eating instant noodles recently. “They have wax added and it can build up and give you cancer,” he claimed earnestly. That sounded like highly dubious internet folklore, and it didn’t take much research to confirm that.
Picture by ffuentes
Urban mythbusting site Snopes offers a comprehensive debunking of this particular myth in all its variant forms. In brief: instant noodles don’t have wax added, wax linings aren’t needed in the styrofoam cups often used with instant noodles (the styrofoam is already heat-resistant), and in any event wax isn’t a particularly dangerous substance and is found in some confectionery. They’re appealing cheap and easy to prepare, but the best reason not to regularly eat instant noodles is the high sodium content of the flavourings they usually ship with.
Noodles and the Boodle [Snopes]
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