Fast food is a staple of many people's daily lives. Heart disease and its tragic effects are very common as well. Unfortunately, though the connection between the two is strong, an understanding of this connection is not. To avoid tragedy in your own life, take the time to educate yourself and your family about why fast food is dangerous to your health, and incorporate wise food choices into your lifestyle.
Significance
Rather than making an uneducated decision to avoid fast foods, understand the relatively simple physiology behind the dangers fast foods present to a healthy heart and cardiovascular system.
Fast food is detrimental to cardiovascular health for two main reasons: its high sodium content, and the high amount of trans and saturated fats it contains. There are other issues with fast food, such as its high calorie content, its lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the low fiber content. However, the most dangerous challenges to health are found in fast food's massive amounts of fat and salt that assault the heart and circulatory system.
Unhealthy Fats
Trans fats are vegetable oils that have been chemically altered by a process called hydrogenation. This process changes the chemical structure of the oil and makes it solid. Trans fats are found in baked goods such as cookies and cakes, and in fried items such as donuts, French fries and onion rings.
Saturated fats are found in animal products. Beef, lard, butter, cream and whole milk all contain saturated fats. According to the American Heart Association, saturated fats are the biggest dietary contributors to high blood cholesterol.
Clogged Arteries
Unhealthy fats (trans and saturated fats) increase the levels of low density lipoprotein, or LDL. This is commonly known as "bad cholesterol," and it contributes to the hardened layers of plaque that can block blood vessels. This results in a decreased or eliminated capacity to carry oxygen and nutrients to vital tissues, such as the brain or heart muscle.
High Sodium Content
While our bodies require a certain amount of sodium to function, an excess of sodium can contribute to high blood pressure. Water is attracted to sodium, and when the blood has a high sodium content, more water is absorbed into the bloodstream and, consequently, blood pressure increases.
High blood pressure can damage the delicate lining of blood vessels, creating injured areas that will eventually be "repaired" with plaque. Additionally, high blood pressure forces the heart to function under a much greater pressure load than it was designed to, resulting in harmful consequences.
Lifestyle
A less recognized risk that fast foods pose to a healthy heart is the unwholesome lifestyle they encourage. Rather than taking the time to prepare a nutritious meal and relax, fast foods promote a stressful, "on the go" type of existence that allows no time for the rest your body physically needs. Stress is a contributing factor to heart disease, and a way of life that provides a venue for it is dangerous.
