THE EFFECTS OF FAST FOOD ON THE BODY
Fast foods often contain too many calories and too little
nutrition. If fast food is a regular component of your diet, you might find
yourself struggling with weight problems and ill health.
Extra Calories, Insulin Resistance, High Blood Pressure, Bloating
and Puffiness, Shortness of Breath, Depression, Dental Distress, Blood Sugar
Spike, A Weighty Problem, High Cholesterol, Hard on the Heart, Headache, Acne
EFFECTS OF FAST FOOD ON THE BODY
Food is fuel for your body. It has a direct impact on how you
feel as well as on your overall health. Fast food isn’t necessarily bad, but in
many cases it’s highly processed and contains large amounts of carbohydrates,
added sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt (sodium).
These foods are often high in calories yet offer little or no
nutritional value. When fast food frequently replaces nutritious foods in your
diet, it can lead to poor nutrition, poor health, and weight gain. Tests in lab animals have even shown a
negative effect in short duration diets. Being overweight is a risk factor for
a variety of chronic health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and
stroke.
According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, most people underestimate the
number of calories they’re eating in a fast-food restaurant. A 2013 study
published in JAMA Pediatrics showed that children and adolescents
take in more calories in fast food and other restaurants than at home. Eating
at a restaurant added between 160 and 310 calories a day.
DIGESTIVE AND CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS
Many fast foods and drinks are loaded with carbohydrates and,
consequently, a lot of calories. Your digestive system breaks carbs down into
sugar (glucose), which it then releases into your bloodstream. Your pancreas
responds by releasing insulin, which is needed to transport sugar to cells
throughout your body. As the sugar is absorbed, your blood sugar levels drop.
When blood sugar gets low, your pancreas releases another hormone called
glucagon. Glucagon tells the liver to start making use of stored sugars.
When everything is working in sync, blood sugar levels stay
within a normal range. When you take in high amounts of carbs, it causes a
spike in your blood sugar. That can alter the normal insulin response. Frequent
spikes in blood sugar may be a contributing factor in insulin resistance and
type 2 diabetes.
SUGAR AND FAT
Added sugars have no nutritional value but are high in
calories. According to the American Heart Association, most Americans take in twice as
much sugar as is recommended for optimal health. All those extra calories add
up to extra weight, which is a contributing factor for getting heart disease.
Trans fats are a manufactured fat with no extra nutritional
value. They’re considered so unhealthy that some countries have banned their
use. Often found in fast food, trans fats are known to raise LDL cholesterol
levels. That’s the undesirable kind of cholesterol. They can also lower HDL
cholesterol, which is the so-called good cholesterol. Trans fats may also
increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
SODIUM
Too much sodium causes your body to retain water, making you
feel bloated and puffy. But that’s the least of the damage overly salted foods
can do. Sodium also can contribute to existing high blood pressure or enlarged
heart muscle. If you have congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, or kidney
disease, too much salt can contribute to a dangerous buildup of fluid. Excess
sodium may also increase your risk for kidney stones, kidney disease, and
stomach cancer.
High cholesterol and high blood pressure are among the top
risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Obesity is associated with an increase in respiratory
problems. Even without diagnosed medical conditions, obesity may cause episodes
of shortness of breath or wheezing with little exertion. Obesity also can play
a role in the development of sleep apnea, a condition in which sleep is
continually disrupted by shallow breathing and asthma.
A recent study published in the journal Thorax suggests that children who eat fast
food at least three times a week are at increased risk of asthma and rhinitis,
which involves having a congested, drippy nose.
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
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A study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition showed that eating commercial baked
goods (doughnuts, croissants, and, yes, even bran muffins) and fast food
(pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs) may be linked to depression. The study
determined that people who eat fast food are 51 percent more likely to develop
depression than those who eat little to no fast food. It was also found that
the more fast food study participants consumed, the more likely they were to
develop depression.
A junk food diet could also affect your brain’s synapses and
the molecules related to memory and learning, according to a study published in
the journal Nature. Animal tests have shown a similar
effect. Rats fed a steady diet with over half the
calories from fat (similar to a junk food diet) for just a few days had trouble
completing a maze they had previously mastered in a 2009 study.
SKIN AND BONES
Chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed for acne, but
they’re not the real culprits. It’s carbs that are to blame. According to the Mayo Clinic, because foods that are high in carbohydrates increase blood
sugar levels, they may also trigger acne.
The study in Thorax showed a higher risk of eczema (inflamed, irritated patches
of skin) among children with a diet high in fast food.
When you consume foods high in carbs and sugar, bacteria
residing in your mouth produce acids. These acids can destroy tooth enamel, a
contributing factor in dental cavities. When the enamel of your tooth is lost,
it can’t be replaced. Poor oral health has also been linked to other health
problems.
Excess sodium may also increase your risk of developing
osteoporosis (thin, fragile bones).
EFFECTS ON SOCIETY
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the definition of
obesity is when your body mass index (BMI) is 30.0 or higher. BMI is a
calculation of your height and weight. You can calculate your BMI here. There’s also a category referred to as “extreme obesity,” which is defined as a BMI of 40. Across all race
groups, one
in three Americans is considered obese while one in 20 is considered extremely obese. Those
statistics are higher in the black and Latino communities. Approximately 75 percent of people in these groups who are
over age 20 are considered obese.
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) reports that the number of fast food
outlets has doubled since 1970, a period during which the number of obese
Americans also doubled. It’s likely that many factors have
contributed to the obesity epidemic, but the correlation between the
availability of cheap and fattening fast food and national weight increase is
stark. Obesity increases the likelihood of heart disease, high blood pressure,
kidney disease, diabetes, joint problems, and more. In 2008, obesity-related
medical costs were estimated at $147 billion. Diabetes alone was estimated to be responsible for $69 billion just in lost productivity. Numbers
like these suggest that the costs of cheap fast food are surprisingly
high.
In addition to consuming oversize portions that
quickly exceed a prudent calorie intake, eating too much fast food appears to
dramatically raise the risk of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. New
research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health suggests that
indulging in just one fast food meal per week increases the risk of dying from
coronary heart disease by 20 percent compared to those who abstain. Eat fast
food four or more times a week and the risk soars to an 80 percent
increase compared to those who don’t yield to the temptation of fat and salt.
Interestingly, those statistics come from Chinese residents of Singapore, which
the Minnesota team described as “a hotbed for diabetes and heart disease.” The
investigators examined data collected over 16 years beginning in 1993 and
followed the eating habits of 52,000 individuals. Another surprise: the study participants
who reported eating the most fast food were younger, better educated, smoked
less and were more likely to be physically active - a profile the researchers
noted is normally associated with lower cardio-metabolic risk.
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