When you're on the run between work, the grocery store and the kid's soccer practice, taking time out to eat a nutritious meal seems almost impossible. Wouldn't it just be easier to drive through your local fast food outlet for a Happy Meal? For many busy adults, giving into the temptation of a fast food meal seems like the ideal solution. After all, it's fast, filling and inexpensive. And even though they'd like you to believe otherwise, a regular diet of fast food can increase your risk for contracting heart disease.
Saturated Fat, Trans Fats and Heart Disease
According to the American Heart Association, health-conscious consumers are wise to limit their intake of foods containing saturated fat and trans fats. Saturated fats are present in a majority of foods of animal origin like marbled meats, sausages, hot dogs and cold cuts and have been linked to a high incidence of heart disease. Trans fats are fats that are unsaturated but have still been shown to raise low-density lipoproteins (the bad type of cholesterol) and lower high density lipoproteins (the good type of cholesterol). Higher levels of low-density lipoproteins have been directly linked to the incidence of coronary artery disease. Trans fats are present in French fries, donuts and many commercially prepared baked goods and meals prepared in fast food restaurants.
Cholesterol in Fast Foods
Cholesterol is a wax-like substance that is present in the body. It's also consumed through the diet in many popular foods. When its levels increase after eating foods rich in cholesterol, plaque begins to deposit on the inside walls of the coronary arteries, ultimately restricting the blood supply to the heart. Lp(a) cholesterol is a lesser known variant of LDL cholesterol and has been shown to accelerate fatty deposit inside the arterial walls.
AGE-Rich Foods and Heart Disease
While most consumers are familiar with HDL and LDL cholesterol, many are unaware of AGEs--advanced glycation end products. AGEs are compounds produced in the body by high levels of blood glucose and in foods that are rich in protein and fat and cooked at high heat. AGEs have been associated with a number of complications originating from diabetes, including heart disease. Foods that are rich in AGEs include hamburgers, French fries and other fatty foods cooked at high temperatures.
