As people spend more time working and less time cooking, fast food has become an increasingly frequent option. Many people eat all three meals away from home every day, often at fast-food establishments. While fast food can be a time and budget-friendly option.One common feature of many fast foods, even low-calorie fast foods, is high salt, or sodium, content. Currently all but one of the low-fat foot-long sandwiches at a popular chain has at least 60 percent of the average recommended daily intake of sodium of 2,400mg. Many low-calorie and low-fat foods are often loaded with salt to make them taste better.
Fast food is often also packed with sources of excess added sugar and saturated fats such as mayonnaise, cheese and soda. While this translates into excess calories and weight gain, it can also become an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat has been shown to raise total cholesterol levels, while high sugar intake can lead to symptoms of metabolic syndrome, which include increased triglycerides. Elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels are indicators of cardiovascular disease and are associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Many of the previously mentioned health conditions are related to each other, and diabetes is no different. Excess sugar intake, obesity and metabolic syndrome-related insulin resistance are all significant risk factors for developing diabetes. The CARDIA study also demonstrated eating fast food more than twice per week was strongly associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. And diabetes greatly increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, so when you develop one of these conditions, you are likely facing a higher risk of all of them.
the effects of consuming standard burger-and-fries fare on a daily basis can result in unintended consequences to both your waistline and health. There are some nutritious fast-food options available at many fast food chains, but you need to do some research to separate the healthful from the harmful.But high levels of salt intake can lead to high blood pressure, particularly in those who have sodium sensitivities and are overweight or obese.