The Fast Food Epidemic
Fast food chains have been spreading across the world since they were created. 50,000 out of 500,000 fast food chains are located in America, making America the fast food capital of the world. One out of every four Americans visits a fast food restaurant each day (Spurlock). Each year, fast food chains such as McDonald’s make up to 2 million dollars per store selling unhealthy foods. The McDonald’s menu only offers seven items with no sugar in them. Fast food and health disease have a direct correlation to each other. People who eat fast food have been known to become obese, have coronary heart disease, have high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, and even depression (Spurlock). The negative effects of fast food on health have led to America becoming one of the unhealthiest countries in the world.
Obesity is the number one cause of avoidable deaths in America, now surpassing smoking. The World Health Organization defines obesity as “an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that can have a negative impact on health” (Febfast). Obesity is caused when too much fat and sugar pile up in your body causing weight gain. In America, 60 percent of all Americans are overweight or obese (Spurlock). One of the main causes of obesity is the dietary meals that Americans choose to consume.
Fast food is one of the leading factors of obesity in America. The Obesity Action Coalition provides the statistic that since 1970 the number of fast food chains has doubled in America, and in that same time period, the number of obese Americans has also doubled. The direct connection between fast food and obesity is becoming more obvious as the health problem continues to grow. The World Health Organization states that the greatest cause of obesity is when “there is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and the amount expended” (Febfast). Fast food has many calories and is low in nutrients. The meals that the fast food chains often serve contain high amounts of sugar and lack the nutrients that the body needs to maintain good health. This leads to an imbalance of the amount of energy gained and the amount of energy used, leading to the gaining of weight.
The amount of energy gained and lost is not the only way fast food effects weight though. Another factor in fast food leading to obesity is the amount of calories in the meal, and the sizes of the meals served. The average fast food meal contains 1,500 calories, and the average human being is only supposed to consume 1,500-2,000 calories a day (Muntel). Therefore, when someone like Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days straight, three times a day, he gained weight at a rapid rate. Another problem that is causing a rapid gaining of weight is the meal sizes that are offered at the restaurants. For instance, in the documentary Supersize Me, a woman from another country states that a large size in another country like France or Canada, is a small size in America. With the sizes and calorie count of fast food, it makes it to where you will gain weight very fast. Morgan Spurlock, after 30 days of eating nothing but McDonald’s, gained 24.5 pounds and had an 11-15 percent body fat increase (Spurlock). With the sizes and the number of calories in each meal, fast food companies are creating an environment that almost guarantees Americans become overweight.
Furthermore, fast food creates coronary heart problems. Coronary heart disease happens when there is a blockage in your arteries. The Coronary Artery Disease Learning Center states that factors that can lead to coronary artery disease are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, and inactivity (Talix). Coronary heart disease is the main cause of deaths in the United States. The Coronary Artery Disease Learning Center approximates that every 34 seconds someone in the United States dies from a problem caused by a heart attack (Talix). Fast food plays a major role in causing coronary heart disease. Eating too much fast food can lead to a rise in the chances of dying from coronary heart disease. People who eat fast food once a week have a 20 percent chance of dying from coronary heart disease, and if you eat fast food two or three times a week you can raise your chances to 50 percent (Oberst). For example, in Supersize Me, by eating nothing but McDonalds for a month, Morgan Spurlock doubled his chance of having and dying from coronary heart disease. Fast food can cause coronary artery disease directly as it did to Spurlock, or indirectly. When you eat too much fast food you can become obese. Obesity is known to be linked with the enlargement of the left ventricle, and an increased risk of coronary artery disease. These two factors are major risks in causing heart failure (“Obesity & Heart Disease”). Diet plays a giant role in causing coronary heart disease. When you eat a meal that is high in saturated fat, and low in fiber such as a fast food meal, you are causing a negative effect on your heart.
One of the leading causes of coronary heart disease is high blood pressure. High blood pressure happens when the force of blood against the walls of the artery is too great. Danial Pendick from Harvard Medical School shows the effects of high blood pressure when he states, “High Blood Pressure is the leading cause of strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and kidney disease” (Pendick). High blood pressure can be caused by the intake of too much sodium. Pendick says that the United States is ranked as the 19th out of the 30 large countries of the world for deaths that were caused by high sodium intake. Pendick gives the statistic that 429 out of one million adults die from the overuse of sodium. One of the leading causes of the overuse of sodium is the amount of sodium that fast food restaurants put in their meals.
Fast food restaurants overdose the amount of sodium they put in their food. The average American consumes almost 3400 milligrams of sodium per day (Pendick). The recommended amount of sodium intake per day is 1500 milligrams. One of the main sources of sodium for Americans is fast food (Spurlock). In Spurlock’s documentary, he found that he was consuming way too much sodium, and it was actually raising his blood pressure. Fast food restaurants have been altering their food to add more and more sodium. For example, McDonald’s fries originally had 200 milligrams of sodium, but now, on average, a medium size serving of fries will have 600 milligrams of sodium. McDonald’s says that their meals on average can contain up to 1200 milligrams of sodium, and that is for a medium sized meal. Therefore, when you eat at a fast food restaurant such as McDonald’s you are consuming the amount of sodium in one meal that is recommended for a day. When you eat fast food, you are raising your sodium levels past the recommended point for a day, and people eat out two to three times a week. This makes it very likely that you will suffer from high blood pressure.
Strokes are very dangerous as they can lead to the loss of your life. A stroke happens when the blood flow to a specific part of the brain is cut off (National Stroke Association). Two of every three people are paralyzed, lose sight, or even die from strokes. If someone who has a major stroke doesn’t die, then they can lose their speech or even be paralyzed for life. The National Stroke Association says that 80 percent of strokes are avoidable. With poor dietary decisions, you increase your risk of having a stroke
With fast food leading to obesity, coronary artery disease, and high blood pressure, the likelihood of having a stroke is very high. Factors that can lead to a stroke are obesity and blood clots. NCBI did a study researching the number of strokes in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas surrounded by fast food restaurants, and the rates of strokes were much higher in that area than other areas that were separated from fast food restaurants. The results show the effect fast food has on health when they say:
There were 1,247 completed ischemic strokes from January 2000 through June 2003 and fast food restaurants. The median number of fast food restaurants per census tract including buffer was 22. Adjusting for neighborhood demographics and SES, the association of fast food restaurants with stroke was significant. The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased 1% for every fast food restaurant. The relative risk of stroke comparing to neighborhoods was much greater. (Morgenstern)
Fast food can damage the arteries, heart, kidneys, and the brain. Arteries can be blocked when there is too much fat blockage causing reduced blood flow. Fast food has low nutrients and high amounts of fat, so when the blood flow reduces to the brain it can cause a stroke (Mayo Clinic Staff). Mayo Clinic says that there are more than 780,000 people per year that suffer from strokes, and over half of them eat fast food once or twice a week. Toxic foods and physical inactivity, along with cheap foods containing lots of fats are the reason that Americans are suffering from high amounts of strokes every year, which can cause brain and artery damage, and may even lead to death.
Another major condition that can be caused by fast food is diabetes. Diabetes occurs when your body has too much sugar in your blood stream; this is also known as high glucose (Mayo Clinic Staff). The condition diabetes effects the way your body processes glucose, and glucose helps fuel the cells of your body. The major risk of having diabetes is that the condition can cause you to have a weakened metabolism of carbohydrates. This can lead to weight gain in the body because you are not able to properly burn the calories that you consume.
Fast food can play a giant role in the production of Diabetes. One of the main causes of diabetes is the over consumption of sugary drinks and trans and saturated fats (Mayo Clinic Staff). Fast food restaurants have many foods that contain high amounts of sugar, highly processed carbs, and saturated fats. Foods, such as fast food, that are high in calories and has little nutritional value cause a rise in blood sugar levels. The food is being consumed and then it is processed faster than healthier foods like salads, and causes a significant increase in blood sugar levels. Today in America, fast food restaurants serve soft drinks that contain an unhealthy amount of carbs and sugar. In Spurlock’s documentary, Supersize Me, the nutritionist that is insuring that Spurlock maintains a healthy body condition says, “Big Gulps and McDonald’s Supersized drinks are equal to half a gallon of soda and are 600-800 calories depending on how much ice is in them” (Spurlock). With a drink added to the meal, you are adding another 400 calories. Therefore, by eating a fast food meal you are putting anywhere from 1400-1500 calories in your body. Fast foods have a major factor on diabetes as they are a major source of sugars and saturated fats.
Fast food can have an effect on the neurological part of your body too as it is known to be linked with depression. Depression is defined by Mayo clinic as, “A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing a significant impairment in daily life” (Mayo Clinic Staff). Depression can affect how you think, feel, and act. Studies have shown that diet and depression are related. The way you eat can have a direct correlation to the neurological aspect of your body. Diet has an effect on depression, and fast food is having a negative impact on the brain. People that eat processed meat and fried food are more likely to record depression than people who are eating healthier food (Mayo Clinic Staff). The link between fast food and depression comes from the heart and insulin problems that are related to eating fast food. After Spurlock spent 30 days eating nothing but McDonald’s he developed depression and became exhausted. Spurlock’s nutritionist said people who consume fast food are 51 percent more likely to develop depression. This means the more fast food you eat the more likely you are to develop depression.
Fast food creates a craving in people that leads them to go and eat more. The major effect of this is that it leads to people overeat and develop major health problems. Fast food is able to stimulate the reward system in your brain, meaning that people are guaranteed to consume more of it. During Spurlock’s McDonald’s binge, he developed massive cravings for the restaurant’s foods. He would get up in the middle of the night and have headaches and chest pains, common symptoms of withdraw, from not eating McDonald’s for a matter of hours. Spurlock would also be craving McDonald’s in the middle of the day, even if he had eaten lunch or breakfast just hours before.
Fast food restaurants claim that people know that what they are putting into their food is unhealthy. The problem with this is that people do not know how to use the energy they are gaining from the fast food, therefore their body is storing the energy and turning it into fat. Most Americans do not walk more than 5000 steps a day, and 60 percent of Americans get no exercise at all (Spurlock). Mayo Clinic states that you are supposed to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Therefore, when Americans get no exercise after eating a meal with 1,500 calories in it, the food is just stored as fat in the body.
Some fast food restaurants may claim that they advertise the amount of calories in each meal because it is required by law, so it is not their fault that Americans are having negative health problems. Displaying the amount of calories in the food is not enough. Supersize Me recorded that McDonald’s had seven items on their menu that contained no sugar. When there are little healthy food options on the menu, customers are going to choose an unhealthy option, which negatively affects their bodies. Restaurants could add more healthy options to the menu so that people have more options for a healthy meal instead of a meal that contains 1,500 calories. Fast food restaurants could also use alternatives to what they are serving, so instead of just beef burgers they could offer turkey burgers like Burger King has started doing, and instead of regular fries, they could offer sweet potato fries. Another option could be requiring a healthier side dish for the customer. For instance, instead of just offering fries, they could offer salads, soups, or even fruits as many restaurants have started doing. Fast food restaurants can offer drinks that contain less sugar as well, so instead of soda, offer milk, and diet drinks so that people are not consuming too many calories. Losing ten percent of your body fat can be very beneficial and can prevent someone from becoming diabetic, obese, or having heart problems. If fast food restaurants contain healthier options then people could lose weight and avoid becoming unhealthy.
Fast food can cause negative health effects like obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, and depression. With fast food chains spreading, and America being the fast food capital of the world, the unhealthy conditions are causing major negative effects on American health. As fast food chains grow, so does the death rate caused by health problems related to fast food. The strongest nation in the world has now become known for having the most overweight people in the world. Another problem is that obesity is the number one cause of avoidable deaths in the country. As the health risks of fast food grow, so does the embarrassment of the American people as some might say they know how to eat and forgot how to exercise.