Fast Food, Obesity, and Diabetes

For many years, a commonsense link between fast food, obesity, and insulin problems was assumed by many people – and now Britain’s esteemed medical journal The Lancet has published results of the first long-term investigation to establish links between fast food, obesity and the insulin troubles that usually appear as harbingers of diabetes.

'These findings suggest that frequent fast food consumption cannot be part of a healthful diet, despite claims to the contrary by the food industry,’ said senior study author Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston. As they attempted to isolate the effect of fast food on excess weight and insulin resistance, two major risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, researchers assessed the dietary habits of 3,301 black and white adults aged 18 to 30. Participants were asked to provide information about diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors.

What is it about fast food that makes it so bad for people? ‘The kind of foods that are served in fast food restaurants are generally high-energy density,’ wrote Dr. Aren Astrup in an accompanying editorial. ‘The portion sizes have gone up dramatically and also there are a lot of soft drinks where we know the sugar seems to be more fattening than in solid foods. They also lack a lot of the nutrients that we know have some protective effect against weight gain, such as high, whole-grain food products.’