close

Disadvantages of Junk Food

Uncategorized

THE DANGERS OF LIVING TO EAT

Owing to the pressures of our jobs, tight schedules or simply to the occasional sweet tooth, most of us tend to indulge in fast food and junk. Sometimes we over-indulge and end up causing our body serious harm. I know ‘cos I have been a victim of this “dirty” addiction. An accumulation of an unhealthy eating habit could lead to obessity, diabetes and a variety of other diseases especially in old age. Let me expose you guys a bit to these diseases and I hope you think of them with each slice of that pizza, scoop of the ice-cream and cake.
Atherosclerosis:
Meat- and fish-based entrees, as well as side orders such as fried onion rings and french fries, contain large amounts of cholesterol and/or saturated fat, substances that threaten your arterial health. The more you consume, the greater the buildup in your arteries. This narrows the space where blood flows, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches your cells. Damage to the artery walls can create bleeding and dangerous blood clots. This condition, called atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries, can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Heart Disease:

The excessive amounts of sodium in fast food can lead to elevated blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. A diet high in saturated fat and trans fats also increases the risk of these diseases by clogging the arteries. The risk of stroke may be related to the number of fast food establishments in a neighborhood, according to a study published in the “Annals of Neurology” in August 2009. In the study of a neighborhood in Nueces County, Texas, the risk of stroke among residents increased 1 percent for every fast food restaurant in the neighborhood. Additionally, a paper published in “Physiology & Behavior” in 2010 reported that large epidemiology studies show an association between the sugar-sweetened beverages sold at many fast food establishments and the risk of Type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease.
Peptic Ulcers:

peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. For almost 100 years, doctors believed that stress, spicy foods, and alcohol caused most ulcers. Fast Foods which may causes Ulcer are Pizzas, Chips, Salted snakes etc.
Type 2 Diabetes:
Although no one knows if fast foods themselves cause diabetes, health problems related to fast foods can increase your likelihood of getting the disease. Overweight, obesity, high-blood pressure and elevated blood-sugar levels have all been linked to type 2 diabetes. According to a 2005 medical study published in “The Lancet,” eating fast-food meals more than twice per week can cause an average 10-pound weight increase in young adults over time. Carrying that much extra weight raises your risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Cancer:

Again, fast foods themselves may not cause cancer, but they can cause conditions such as weight gain that precipitate cancer. Menus that emphasize fat and sugar at the expense of fiber and other beneficial nutrients have the poor-nutrition building blocks for cancer. The Office of the Surgeon General associates overweight and obesity with colon, kidney, gall bladder and other forms of cancer.
Tooth Decay:
The sugar in sweets and sweetened beverages encourages bacteria to produce acid that eats away at tooth enamel, eventually leading to tooth decay. Every time bacteria comes in contact with sugar or starch in the mouth, acid is produced that attacks the teeth for 20 minutes or more, according to the American Dental Association. Some soft drinks contain a whopping 11 teaspoons of sugar in a single serving. The ADA recommends limiting sweets and sugary drinks, brushing twice a day, flossing once daily and having regular dental checkups.
Digestive Problems:
Those who are addicted to fatty junk food are bound to suffer from digestive problems like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). That’s because junk food is deep fried. The oil soaked in junk food gets deposited on the walls of the stomach lining, increases acid production. Spices loaded in them irritate the stomach lining, worsening GERD and digestion. Lack of fibre in them hampers digestion, increasing problems like constipation and haemorrhoids.
Fatigue and Weakness:
Junk food lacks most of essential nutrients like proteins and vitamins required for maintenance of overall health and functioning of all the systems in your body. Although it makes you feel full and satisfied, it fails to provide you with instant energy, making you feel weak and tired after a while. If you eat junk food items for all your meals of the day over a period of time, you could be suffer from chronic fatigue. Junk food can lower your energy levels to an extent that it may become difficult for you to even perform your daily tasks.
Fluctuations in Blood Sugar Levels:
Junk foodis high in refined sugar which exerts stress on your metabolism. Refined sugar causes the pancreas to secrete more amount of insulinin order to prevent a drastic spike in your blood sugar levels. Because junk food lacks sufficient levels of good carbohydrates and proteins, the levels of blood sugar drop suddenly after you eat. This makes you feel irritable and further increases you craving for more junk food.
Impairs Brain Function:
A study published in the journalBrain, Behavior, and Immunityshows that one week of eating junk food is enough to trigger memory impairment in rats. Recent research suggests that bad fats (trans fats) from junk food tends to replace healthy fats in the brain and interferes with its normal signalling mechanism. Studies in animals have also shown that fats from junk food slow down the ability to learn new skills.
Others:

Organs, particularly your liver can also become infiltrated with

The way in whichhigh saltlevels do this is, once in your blood stream, it separates into sodium and chloride, increasing the pressure in the blood by ‘holding water’ in you blood stream, and thereby exerting more mechanical stress on your blood vessel walls. A diet with chronically excessive salt will worsen blood vessel wall damage and promote hypertension.
read more