Fast food has increasingly become a significant part of the American lifestyle. In 1970, there were about 30,000 fast-food restaurants in the United States; that number increased to 222,000 by 2001. This growing trend is concerning as many health consequences come along with a diet full of fast food.
Heart Disease
Fast food can cause high blood pressure and obesity, due to the high amounts of salt and fat in the food -- two major risk factors for heart disease. In 2010, 36.9 percent of Americans had heart disease, a number the American Heart Association projects will climb to 40.5 percent by the year 2030.
Fat
While fast food items such as hamburgers and french fries, Mexican and Chinese food and pizza only contributed 1.9 percent of an American's total fat calories in 1965, by 1996 those foods added up to 10.8 percent. Since fast foods are full of saturated and trans fats, this is an increasing problem, as these fats contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors.
Weight Gain
A January 2004 study commissioned by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute followed young adults who ate fast food over a period of 15 years. The participants who ate fast food over two times each week gained 10 more pounds and had higher insulin resistance than those who ate fast food less than one time per week. Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease and other health conditions. Insulin resistance can lead to diabetes, which can also cause heart disease.
Death
The US Department of Health and Human Services discovered that the combination of a poor diet and a lack of physical activity causes 310,000 to 580,000 deaths every year. These numbers are significantly higher than deaths caused either by guns or drug use. The types of foods that lead to death are ones with too much saturated fat, sugar and sodium, which all characterize fast foods. Further, fast food meals often do not provide enough healthy food choices, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which is another contributing factor to health problems. This kind of diet leads to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
References
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Fast-Food Consumption Among U.S. Adults and Children -- Dietary and Nutrient Intake Profile; Sahasporn P. Paeratakul, et al.; October 2003
- "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association"; Forecasting the Future of Cardiovascular Disease in the United States..."; Paul A. Heidenreich, et al.; February 2011
- American Heart Association: Nutrition and Cardiovascular Diseases -- Statistics
- NIH News: Eating at Fast-Food Restaurants More Than Twice Per Week is Associated With More Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance in Otherwise Healthy Young Adults
- Center for Science in the Public Interest: Why Good Nutrition is Important
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