Fast Food Danger

From LoveToKnow Diet

. Most people do not take fast food danger too seriously, but the effects of frequently eating at fast food chains poses a real threat to even young and healthy individuals. Most of the danger from eating fast foods stems from the foods’ unquestionable ability to cause obesity. Most fast food joints’ marketed meal packages contain enough calories to meet or exceed the recommended daily amounts for most persons. Additionally, these meals offer very little nutrition as they’re mainly composed of sugars and carbohydrates; leaving patrons to feel hungry and wanting eat more later in the day.

It’s the undeniable link between fast food and obesity that opens doors to life threatening illnesses. Heart disease, diabetes and stroke are usually directly related to the risk factor of obesity. These illnesses have become major killers in the US, as one recent study by the American Medical Association estimates that 300,000 Americans die each year from these obesity-related diseases.

Heart Disease and Stroke

Diet is a huge risk factor when it comes to heart disease and stroke, and experts all over agree that a diet that consisting of many fast food meals is about the best way to put a body at risk for mal heart health. The primary culprit is saturated and trans-fats, which increase LDL cholesterol levels or “bad” cholesterol. Cholesterol is a type of fat that is very important to all the body’s cell membranes’ functionality. Saturated and trans-fats also cause obesity.

Saturated and trans-fats are part of most fast food meals. In particular, the harder vegetable fat and shortening used by the fast food industry to make cakes, biscuits and pastries is especially harmful as they contain incredibly high amounts of saturated and trans-fats. Other common foods that contain these types of fats are:

Butter
Meat fat
Beef
Chicken skin
Full cream dairy foods
Other processed foods

Diabetes

Fast food is now almost certainly linked to causing diabetes. A recent study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) found that those eating fast food only twice a week were much more likely to develop insulin resistance – a huge risk factor for type 2 diabetes. What’s more is that the study was performed on young and healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 30. The study found that over a 15 year period, participants who ate at fast food restaurants twice a week had gained an extra ten pounds and had a two-fold greater increase in insulin resistance than those participants who ate at fast food restaurants less than once a week.

This study not only shows that fast food can act as a catalyst for type 2 diabetes, but also that the negative effects of fast food are strong enough to harm the young and healthy. Type 2 diabetes is also another major risk factor for heart disease.

Fast Food Danger and Kids

Growing children are particularly vulnerable to fast food danger. The Center for Science in the Public Interest investigated the nutritional value and quality of kids' meals at some fast food chains and found over 90 percent of thousands of possible choices exceeded 430 calories. The National Institute of Medicine says that this amount is already a third of what children ages 4 to 8 should have in one day. This study also found that 45 percent of the kid’s meals were extremely high in saturated and trans fats.

Another study analyzed the sodium content of kid’s meals at fast food restaurants and found that some meals contained 4 times the daily limit of salt for a 6-year-old. This over-dosage of salt puts kids at a high risk for childhood obesity, heart disease and diabetes later in life.

Do Not be Fooled

Many fast food chains are now marketing healthy options. However, experts and nutritionists say these choices are usually far from healthy. Grilled foods smothered in sauces and condiments are often equally as high in calories as burgers. Salads full of cheese and fattening dressings, and in some cases even fried chicken or bacon bits, sometimes contain even more calories and fat than burgers.

Overall, study after study has exposed what most nutritionists and even many general consumers already suspected; that fast food is simply unhealthy. However, many of these studies also confirm that fast food is truly dangerous as it places people at risk for a host of life threatening illnesses.

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