Too much fat stored in the body leads to obesity and fast food, which is high in calories and sugar and contributes to weight gain. Those who like such food do not consume enough milk, fruits, vegetables, porridge, etc. Unhealthy edibles seem tasty and they can easily change eating habits and lead to obesity. People who consume fast food several times a week considerably increase the risk to die from heart disease. It is because this food contains trans fats that clog arteries and makes levels of cholesterol higher.
Fast food is a way of life for those who look for a quick and cheap alternative to homemade food. At the same time, few people think that they may develop type 2 diabetes, which is often caused by an improper lifestyle, and a peptic ulcer. For many years doctors believed that most ulcers are caused by alcohol, stress, and spicy foods, but now it is evident that fast food such as pizza, chips, and salted nuts can also lead to ulcers because they can disrupt the intestinal microflora.
Fast food makes family members less likely to meet at the dinner table together, thus, it can be harmful to family life and the communication of relatives as well. For many people, it seems easier and sometimes even more pleasant to visit a restaurant with fast food that is tasty and satisfying at first sight. Everyone can buy and eat fast food on the way to work and in the office, however, a healthy person needs to have a decent meal at the right time to maintain his or her health. It is important to sit at the table and eat soup, porridge, meat or fish, drink milk or tea to get necessary vitamins and minerals that are vital for the human organism. Fast food can be eaten at any time or two or three times a day, and homemade food is served at the appropriate time, allowing you to rest afterward and digest food.
The United States and Australia are the largest consumers of this type of food. In these countries approximately 9 out of 10 people choose “fast food”, and the most ardent fans of such edibles in both countries are men aged 18 to 24 years. Israel ranks third – 85% of the population consumes fast food, Canada is in fourth place (83%).
Great Britain is ahead of other European states – the number of fast-food consumers in the country is slightly less than in North America – 82%. A similar situation has developed historically, and it is not surprising that in Great Britain, the homeland of sandwiches, fast food is as popular as in the States, and the leaders – America and Australia – are the former British colonies.
According to research, the most notable changes in the fast-food segment have recently occurred in China. A lifestyle change, a shift towards Western culture led to a steady increase in the consumption of fast food. At the same time, American “fast food” has seriously pressed the national cuisine, including Chinese fast food. Young people are the main consumers of it as in the case of Australia and the United States. Over the past year, 79% of the population aged 18-24 has visited a Western-style fast food restaurant (Srivastava). In comparison with the data of five years ago, this figure has grown by 15%. The number of young people who attended Chinese fast food establishments during the same period is 52%, thus over the past five years, this figure has increased by only 8%.
American researchers note an unprecedented increase in the number of people facing obesity. This disease is becoming an epidemic in the United States. About 30% of adults and 17% of children are overweight, according to the statistics over the past 8 years. Researchers at the Center for Disease Control in Hitsville studied the obesity trend among nine thousand volunteers (Srivastava). Among children under 2 years old, the prevalence of weight indicators over height was 8.1%, most often the weight exceeded the height of girls. In the group from 2 to 19 years old, the number of overweight subjects increased to 31.8%, and some of the volunteers already had a high degree of obesity. Scientists have not noticed any positive changes since 2003. Among those 60 and older, the prevalence of obesity rose from 31.5% to 38%.
In the United States, the problem of obesity is becoming more widespread. The need to continue such studies in this field remains urgent (Srivastava). According to the results of the research, it was concluded that if a person, even in childhood, was prone to obesity, then in adulthood this can no longer be avoided. Rapid obesity generates negative consequences for the body, such as the risk of cancer, heart disease, vascular disease, and others.
It is a well-known fact that Americans like fast food very much and consume it often. However, this habit may lead to the death of a high percentage of the population in the United States. Obesity in the US may be killing nearly four times as many people as previously thought. This is the conclusion reached by the authors of a newly conducted study. They note that the problem of being overweight could lead to a shorter life expectancy for the current generation of young Americans. An estimated 18.2 percent of premature deaths in the United States between 1986 and 2006 were associated with being overweight, according to a group of sociologists led by a demographer from Columbia University.
The data, published in the online version of the American Journal of Public Health, is well over 5%, a figure often quoted by researchers in the past. In their work, the author’s combined historical research data with modern statistics on “mortality risk” to calculate how many Americans over 40 died of obesity problems over a specified 20-year period. They concluded that as obesity becomes more prevalent with each new generation of Americans, it could push the average life expectancy of the entire population down for many years to come. It also found that premature deaths due to being overweight are higher in US women than in men, with black American women being the most vulnerable. While among white women, death could be at least partly due to being overweight in 21.7 percent of cases, among African-American women the figure was 26.8 percent. For white men in this group, 15.6 percent of premature deaths were associated with being overweight, while among black men this figure was only 5 percent.
Work Cited
Srivastava, Binkey. “Fast-Food Marketing and Children’s Fast-Food Consumption: A Trigger to Childhood Obesity.” Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, vol. 10, no. 7, 2019, p. 173.