How Fast Food Affects People's Health

Fast food is convenient and inexpensive. Hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, fried chicken, fried fish, pizza, gyros and doughnuts are fast foods eaten by millions. Although these often fried and processed foods contain nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, they are also loaded with sodium, cholesterol, unhealthy fats, sugar and calories. Consuming fast foods, especially if you eat them often, may increase your risk of chronic disease.

High Blood Pressure

Fast foods contain high amounts of sodium, to reduce spoilage and accentuate flavor. High sodium in your diet can increase your blood pressure. High blood pressure makes your heart work harder to pump blood because your arteries are narrowed and resist blood flow. The narrower your arteries are, the higher your blood pressure, and you may not have any noticeable symptoms. High blood pressure can damage your blood vessels and organs and lead to hardening of the arteries, heart failure, heart attack, vision loss and stroke.

Increased Cholesterol and Unhealthy Fats

Fast foods contain high amounts of cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fat, substances that may increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. Animal products, such as meat and dairy, contain cholesterol and saturated fat. Fast food restaurants and processed food manufacturers use trans fat, an industrial processed hydrogenated vegetable oil, to fry foods and as an ingredient in margarine, breads, cookies, salad dressings and potato chips. Trans fat is more dangerous to your health than saturated fat. Trans fat is hard, and may quickly clog your arteries and increase your blood levels of total and LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, and decrease HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol. This can cause heart attack, stroke and death.

Risk of Obesity

The recommended daily intake of calories per day is 2,200 for most people, with lower calorie requirements for people who are sedentary and increased calorie requirements for people who are physically active. Increasing your caloric intake can increase your weight, especially if you do not increase your physical activity. Fast foods, including fried foods, snacks and sweetened beverages, are high in calories. Individual fast food and beverage items can exceed 1,000 calories each, and combined fast foods and beverages in meals can exceed 2,000 calories.

Increased Risk of Diabetes

Eating fast foods can increase your risk of insulin resistance, a condition in which your body cannot metabolize insulin properly. Insulin resistance can cause your body to produce more insulin, and over time you may not be able to produce sufficient amounts, leading to diabetes. Research by scientists at the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota and published in "Lancet" in 2005 found that eating fast food increases your risk of weight gain, insulin resistance, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Frequent fast food consumption increases the risk and severity of insulin resistance.