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effects of fast food on health
health effects of fast food in america
effects of fast food on health
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50 million. That is the average number of Americans that are served in a fast food restaurant each day. There are about 990 thousand fast food restaurants in America today. With new chain restaurants popping up on every corner and new restaurants opening everyday, it is obvious why so many people eat at these places. Although people think the food is tasty and cheap, they do not realize that they are causing more harm than good to their body. 60 percent or 100 billion Americans are considered overweight or obese. There are more issues than obesity coming from fast food.The additives, fats, and other harmful ingredients that go into the food are not thought about when enjoying the meal. Only when the health problems start do people realize …show more content…
Janet Renee suggests that fast food often contains excess calories, fat, salt, refined carbohydrates, and cholesterol (parag.1). Population studies have shown a link between eating fast food and increased risk of developing heart disease. Eating fast food once a week can increase the risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 20 percent. Eating fast food 3 to 4 times a week increases the risk to 50 percent. Eating fast food more than 4 times a week increases the risk to 80 percent. Heart disease has many causes but one of the major causes is fast food. All of the ingredients in the food make your heart work harder than it should. Heart disease begins with damage to the heart arteries, which could happen when the fats from the fast food clog the arteries. Mark Pereira reports that the dangers of fast food are larger portions and the high calories and low nutrients. New evidence has shown that a diet heavy in fast food increases the risk of developing heart disease (parag.1). Pereira says, “The big picture is that this [fast food] aspect of globalization… might not be the best thing to spread to the cultures around the world” (parag.4). In other words, Pereira believes that our fast food industry is not healthy and therefore should not be introduced to other cultures that have not already been exposed to it. The larger portions are causing people to eat more than they should be. This is putting more fat and other harmful things in the body than it can handle so it has to work harder to try to get rid of it. The fat from the food also causes harm to the body’s arteries which causes heart disease over time. Matthew Lee claims that regions with more fast food restaurants are 2.62 times more likely to have high levels of hospitalization for heart problems (parag.4). Researchers from the University of South Australia supports the report that for every 10 percent increase in fast food restaurants, people are 1.39 times more likely to die
Kushner, Jason, ed. "Fast Food and Obesity Epidemic."Nutra Legacy. Nutralegacy.com , 12 Nov 2008. Web. 16 Jan 2014. .
"The Dangers of Eating Fast Food." Stony Brook University- The Heart Links Project. (1999): n.
Obesity can be caused by a combination of fast food and the environment people live in today. Fast food contains foods that are high in fats, sugars, and starches. These ingredients have rarely any nutritional value to the human body. Most of the foods available at fast food restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC contain concentrated salt and preservatives to enhance the flavor in them. Obesity has become the defining aspect of our nation by surrounding the people with fast food products. The freedom to choose what one wants, gives the fast food companies the right to give one unhealthy food. The consumption of fast food products regularly greatly increases one’s chance of having health disparities such as Coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers, stroke, Hypertension, and Osteoarthritis. These negative effects are present with the daily eating of fast foods.
One out of every three Americans is obese and the majority of these obese people in the United States have eaten regularly at fast food restaurants. As the obesity rate increases, the number of fast food restaurants goes up as well. Although it is not certain, many believe that obesity in the United States is correlated to eating fast food. Since the United States has the highest obesity rate out of any country, it is important for Americans to monitor the fast food industry that may be causing obesity. With the pressure to get things done in a timely manner, fast food became a big necessity. However, when creating fast food restaurants, the industries were not thinking about the negative effects such as obesity. Other than obesity, other harmful effects exist as well. Fast food restaurants serve unhealthy products such as greasy foods and artificial meat that lead to dietary health issues in many adults and children. A recent study showed that “Young children who are fed processed, nutrient-poor foods are likely to become unhealthy teenagers, and eventually unhealthy adults. Now twenty-three percent of teens in the U.S. are pre-diabetic or diabetic, 22% have high or borderline high LDL cholesterol levels, and 14% have hypertension or prehypertension” (May, Kuklina, Yoon). The food that they provide is made to be eaten quickly, causing problems for the digestive system. Also, the health problems lead to the use for health insurance, which adds to the costs of Medicare. Health care costs will only worsen an already failing economy. Therefore, the government should regulate fast food restaurants in the United States in order to repair the deteriorating health and economy in America.
Now, some will argue that it is not the fast food chain’s problem, that it is the customers’ problem for buying their food. But here is why they are wrong. Fast food restaurants have not made any positive changes, at least healthier ones and many people depend on something quick to go back to what they were doing, but they do not have the choice of getting something healthy because fast food restaurants do not have any healthy options. This makes the public think twice and actually end up picking something unhealthy because they do not have any other options to choose from. Moreover, fast food has also been proven to lead to heart diseases. This is due to the high cholesterol that fast food contains in their meals. By consuming a lot of cholesterol, plaque will start to build up in the walls of the arteries, which can narrow the blood flow in the coronary arteries and cause a heart attack if blood supply is completely cut off. Secondly, fast food is also the leading cause of obesity, which has become a natural problem in the fast food era. The reason why fast food leads to obesity is because their meals are high on fat and carbohydrates which add on a lot of calories. Obesity has also been linked to leading to other health problems like heart disease, diabetes, problems breathing and other serious health problems. Furthermore, fast food chains are also a critical problem because they are causing other serious health problems by adding other ingredients and additives to their food. Fast food chains are known for adding extra ingredients like sodium or an additive like trans-fat to make their food taste better. By increasing sodium intake, the individual could experience high blood pressure (hypertension), which can lead to heart attack, stroke and other health threatening diseases. On
Buchholz, Todd. "Are Fast-Food Establishments Making Americans Fat?." Journal of Controversial Medical Claims 10.4 (2003): 1-10. Print. 1 Feb 2011.
Holguin, Jaime. “Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity.” Cbsnews.com. CBS News, 5 Jan. 2003. Web. 8 May 2011.
How does fast food affect the health of people in the United States? Fast food has definitely played its mind games and tricks on people in the Unites States, making people want more and more of the unhealthy and spurious food that fast food restaurants provide. Out of all of the horrible issues in the US, the biggest one affects the health of the people in the United States. This involves gaining massive amounts of weight, otherwise known as becoming obese. Fast food makes obesity happen.
The post is suitable to read for anyone who would like to find facts about the relation of fast foods to the high rates of obesity in the states. The audience should expect the author to clearly state out point why fast food is not the primary cause of obesity. The author should also clearly state reason why there has been an increase in obesity levels. This should help the reader in clarifying that fast food is not the primary cause. The purpose of this text is to ensure that the reader understands the relation to fast food and obesity levels. I believe that in many ways, the author can be referred to as a defender of fast food in the blame for causing obesity.
Obesity is an epidemic in America. Fast food can be compared to the same type of mindless addiction as cigarettes, and can be equally as dangerous. Not only is there a problem with fast food restaurants, but the food industry as a whole. Slaughterhouses that control 80% of the market produce meat in such a way that is not healthy for consumption, in turn the products are doused in harmful chemicals and still served to the public. No wonder the obesity rate in America is 69% and rising. Obesity is a true problem in our country- people are neglecting their health and quite literally eating themselves to death.
American life is quick paced and busy. Americans want quick reliable transportation, quick internet connection, quick money, quick healing, quick weight loss, quick energy, and even quick service from the restaurants they eat out at. When a busy person is looking for a quick, easy food, fast food is usually the best option. The main food at a fast food restaurant is usually a burger and French fries. Fast foods restaurants are popular in America because they are inexpensive and served very quickly. There’s no problem with eating fast food every so often, but if a person is eating it almost every day, it can lead to serious health concerns. Americans love to eat. However, it is important to understand that what goes into one’s mouth can affect the rest of the body. Fast food has brought a change into American lives. Hunting for food was once a full time job for humans. Today, such thoughts have become ancient. Food is delivered at the footsteps of your door. In addition, fast food's easy access has strongly contributed to the epidemic of obesity. Furthermore, the marketing of fast food through the media has become big business.
Scientists claim that the consumption of fast food leads to rapid weight gain, heart attacks, diabetes, reduced immunity, irreversible changes in the liver, raising the level of cholesterol in the blood. The fat contained in fast food, mainly consists of saturated fatty acids, which are deposited on the walls of blood vessels.
Fisk, Michelle. "Fast Food & Bad Health Side Effects." Livestrong.com. N.p., 18 Feb 2014. Web. March 19, 2014.
Many fast-food offerings are high in calories, artery-clogging saturated fat and sodium. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unveiled guidelines for a mandatory menu calorie count to be implemented in March 2011 for all chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. Once these numbers were reported, there was no doubt that most choices at fast-food joints were just unhealthy ones. The demand for healthy fast food has led to changes throughout the fast-food industry. Here are some of those changes:
Many people don 't realize how unhealthy stopping at the drive-thru is. Fast food can negatively affect you physically and emotionally. A average woman should have 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day. An average man should have 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. When eating fast food regularly increases your chances of type 2 diabetes. In a 15 year study, people who ate at least 3 days a week fast food gained 9.9 pounds of body weight, compared to a person who ate once a week. Most fast food meals are high and low in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables help to balance a high fat meal, helping to reduce the harmful effects on the blood vessels. According to studies within 3-5 hours of eating a high fat meal, your blood vessels function usual. For some people this can cause a heart attack or a stroke. Fast food may lead some people to depression compared to people who have little to no fast food. According to studies the more fast food you eat the greater risk you are of