Fast Food Risks

From LoveToKnow Diet

Fast food risks are sizable when you adopt meals from these restaurant chains into your diet on a regular basis. The risks are great for people of all ages, and the resulting problems include complications in the body and in the mind. Although there are disadvantages to eating out regularly, smart choices can make a significant difference.

Fast Food Risks

National Institute of Health offers a summary of a 15-year study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The study compared people who ate in fast food restaurants less than once each week to people who frequented the establishments more than twice a week. Those who visited more frequently gained more weight than the other group. They were also more apt to have an increased resistance to insulin, leaving them more susceptible to type 2 diabetes.

High Caloric Intake

Many factors come into play when it comes to fast food risks and a high calorie count is on the top of the list. A double Whopper has 1,020 calories, a whopping number considering that the American Heart Association a moderately active adult should have between 1,800 and 2,400 calories a day.

Childhood Obesity

CBS News explores the connection between the restaurant chains and children in its feature, Fast Food Linked to Childhood Obesity. Extra weight affects a person’s overall health, and when obesity begins in childhood, the child is faced with a lifelong struggle with weight and health issues. One of the most troublesome aspects of the topic is the effects of fast food on children.

Type 2 Diabetes

A frightening aspect of adopting a regular fast food habit is the potential to develop type 2 diabetes. Francine Ratner Kaufman, MD explores this issue in her article, Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Young Adults: A "New Epidemic" featured on Clinical Diabetes.

Kaufman is a pediatric endocrinologist and she is president of the American Diabetes Association. She urges schools to employ nutrition counselors and to remove fast food items from their menus in an effort to help students make the right dietary choices.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a considerable problem for many people. This component has a serious impact on the body, including hardening of the arteries and heart problems. Some of the problems that develop with a high-cholesterol diet involve the brain. A recent doctorate study has found a link between genes that create apolipoprotein E (a component that transports cholesterol) and Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s Disease

The potential to develop Alzheimer’s disease is a surprising risk to eating fast food in excess. In its article, Fast Food a Potential Risk Factor For Alzheimer’s, Science Daily explores research conducted by Susanne Akterin from Karolinska Institute (KI), a Swedish university. Akterin found that mice developed chemical changes in the brain similar to those found in Alzheimer brains.

Hardening of the Arteries

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol found in fatty foods can cause serious problems in the heart and in the arteries. The blood is unable to process this form of cholesterol properly; it oxidizes cholesterol, creating a substance called plaque. Plaque builds up in the arteries, gradually clogging them.

Healthy Choices

While there are considerable risks of fast foods, the occasional visit to a fast food restaurant does little harm, especially if you make wise choices. Salads are an obvious choice but these selections can backfire. Dressings can be packed with fat and calories and some toppings can make the calorie count skyrocket.

Resources for Better Eating

Planning is a great way to ensure that you make good choices even when you visit a fast food establishment. Some of the selections can be a little tricky because they seem healthy, but it's important to do your homework because they can be packed with calories, fat and cholesterol. The following tools can help to equip you to make a better choice before you stand in line to consider all those mouth watering selections:

Wendy’s offers a Nutrition Facts tool that allows visitors to calculate the fat and calories in each of the restaurant’s menu items. Some selections are surprising; the Mandarin Chicken Salad has only 540 calories but 25 grams of fat.

McDonalds has an online nutritional guide that offers information about its products, including coffees. The resource also features Simple Steps to Making Balanced Choices, including information for people with diabetes.

Burger King’s nutritional information is available on PDF, featuring its core menu items.

The Rhode Island Cancer Council offers a great outline charting the fat and calories in many popular fast food choices along with suggestions to help make wise choices.

Just as with all aspects of an individual’s diet, whether fast food is good or bad depends on the choices the individual makes.

Retrieved from "http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Fast_Food_Risks"