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Fast food may increase risk of diabetes, heart disease

Category: Diabetes

Individuals who frequently consume fast food may have an elevated risk of receiving blood testing indicating the presence of diabetes, according to a new study published in the journal Circulation. The meals appeared to increase heart disease risk as well.

Fast food meals tend to be high in saturated fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories, all of which can take a major toll on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems when consumed in excess.

In the study, researchers from the University of Minnesota tracked the health and dietary habits of a group of more than 52,000 people from Singapore over a 16-year period. The results showed that participants who consumed two or more times per week were 27 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who avoided fast food entirely.

Additionally, two or more meals per week increased the risk of death by coronary artery disease by 50 percent.

The findings also showed that educated, young, physically active people tended to consume the most fast food, which makes the results even more interesting, the researchers said. People with these characteristics tend to have low rates of cardio-metabolic disease, but the findings indicate that these factors may not be enough to overcome the damage caused by fast food.