6 Side Effects Of Fast Food On Your Body
Expertise: Beauty, Health, & Wellness
Experience: 2 years
Indrani is a writer and artist who likes to add a dash of humor to everything she does. She has two years of experience in writing articles across beauty, health, and lifestyle genres. After graduatin... more
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Fast food has become an everyday staple in the diets of most city dwellers. It satisfies our taste buds and provides a low-cost solution to our hunger pangs. Fast food is frequently chosen over homemade food because of the quick preparation time – and honestly, who feels like cooking a three course meal when they are starving! The problem is that eating fast food often has a domino impact on health, and it also doesn’t help that unhealthy food is incredibly addictive. The long-term repercussions of this diet can lead to a number of health issues. Here in this article, we have discussed the harmful effects of junk food and why you should stop eating them once and for all. Read on!
1. Increases Belly Fat
Experts from all around the world agree that we should try to limit our intake of trans fat. You can raise your risk of cardiovascular and diabetes type 2 by eating foods high in trans-fat, which increases your bad cholesterol while lowering your good cholesterol levels (1). Many nations have outlawed trans-fat because of its negative health consequences, and those who are attempting to lose some weight should be aware that it causes the body to shift fat storage from other places to the abdominal region (2).
2. Increases Blood Pressure
Even though fast food may not taste salty, they may still be very high in sodium. Most consumers have a distorted perception of the salt content of processed foods. Compared to home-cooked meals, fast food is far more appetizing because of the meal’s sugar, fat, and high sodium (salt) content. The high sodium concentration will make you retain water, leading to swelling, bloating, and a general unpleasant sensation (3).
People with high blood pressure should avoid eating a high-sodium diet. Sodium contributes to hypertension and cardiovascular strain (4). As we have long stressed, eating fast food daily may lead to weight gain and a host of health problems associated with poor nutrition and an inactive lifestyle, and now we know that it also affects the respiratory system. Asthma and other breathing difficulties are only two health concerns of being overweight (5). If you have a lot of fat in your system, it will be difficult to breathe, walk upstairs, and even walk. The research found that kids who consume fast food more than three times per week are less likely to get asthma (6).
3. Harms The Reproductive System
You may decrease your fertility if you often eat fast or other junk food. Research has shown that fast food contains high phthalates and monosodium glutamate levels (7). Phthalates and monosodium glutamate (MSG) can disrupt and wreak havoc on your hormones (8). Chemicals like these have been linked to various reproductive issues and birth abnormalities in future generations.
4. Damages Skin
You should never eat fast food if you care about your skin. Due to the lack of nutrients in fast food, your hair and skin will suffer. After all, you are what you eat. Carbohydrates are the primary cause of acne, contrary to the beliefs of our grandmothers who blamed fatty and oily foods. If you genuinely want to avoid acne, you should monitor what you eat since food high in carbohydrates causes glucose spikes, and these fast fluctuations in blood glucose levels can provoke acne (9).
5. Causes Uncontrolled Weight Gain
A stressful lifestyle, a diet of processed foods, and inadequate sleep all contribute to elevated levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker in the blood that increases the body’s acidity and promotes weight gain (10). In addition, because inflammation causes insulin resistance, the pancreas constantly secures insulin to control blood sugar. Now, it’s common knowledge that insulin is just a fat-storing hormone that promotes the development of new adipose tissue. Therefore, inflammation causes insulin resistance, which results in increased insulin production and fat cell synthesis, transforming any excess calories into fat and storing it, especially in the abdominal region.
6. Raises Insulin Resistance
When cells become insulin resistant, glucose from the blood cannot enter the cells despite the pancreas’ best attempts to transport the sugar. Because of this, there is constantly an excessive amount of glucose circulating in the blood, necessitating the continuous secretion of more insulin by the pancreas. Recall that insulin is responsible for the body’s tendency to store fat. High-carbohydrate diets, especially those high in refined wheat and added sugars, make cells resistant to insulin’s effects, necessitating ever-increasing hormone doses to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke are only some of the leading health problems made more likely by insulin resistance (11).
Out of all things we are told not to eat, fast food seems to be the hardest to resist. It tastes better than staple food and is probably made that way, so you can dream about eating them the moment you cheat on your diet. The secret is to keep a balance and not overdo any food that might cause health issues.
