The effects of fast food on health rarely mark an improvement. Most drive-thru selections are full of the fat, sugar, cholesterol and salt that the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans state contribute to the poor diets of many children and adults.
For instance, a large cheeseburger contains about 33 percent of daily total fat, cholesterol and sodium allowances, as per the USDA Nutrient Database -- and that's without side orders of fried foods. Sweetened beverages and desserts drive calorie totals and blood sugar levels up. You'll find too much of these same nutrients in Mexican, Chinese and submarine sandwich offerings, which may spell health problems down the road.
Weight Gain
The American Heart Association notes that restaurants encourage high-calorie consumption by pushing larger portions, extra meals, fatty sauces and fried foods. Your body can only use up so many calories in a day, and with typical calorie counts of 1,000 or more, eating lots of fast food meals can make you store fat and gain weight. If you don't shed the pounds, obesity, or a body mass index of over 30, looms.
Excess calories from fat and sugar actually contribute to a poor diet by displacing the vitamins and minerals that healthier foods provide. As the Office of the Surgeon General reports, increasing weight and obesity raise your risk for health problems and death from many causes.
Cardiovascular Stress
Overweight and obese people have a greater likelihood of developing atherosclerosis, hypertension and heart disease, the Office of the Surgeon General relates. These health problems gradually build to dangerous proportions as you continue eating unhealthy fast food, and you don't have to be overweight to be affected.
Atherosclerosis, or clogged blood vessels, arises from plaque deposits from too much cholesterol in a poor diet. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, results from high amounts of dietary sodium, which comes from salty foods. Either of these conditions can lead to heart disease emergencies, including heart attacks and strokes.
Higher Risk for Disease
Additional health problems stem from the nutrient imbalance in a poor diet and from becoming overweight. While fast foods don't cause chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, asthma and arthritis, eating significant quantities of them increases your health risk along with your weight.
According to the Office of the Surgeon General, gaining 2 lbs raises arthritis risk by up to 13 percent. Gaining 11 lbs or more doubles your Type 2 diabetes risk. Women who add 20 lbs double their risk for postmenopausal breast cancer. Obese people are also more likely to get other types of cancer, asthma and incontinence.
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