Obesity, diseases caused by fast food

restaurants

Does fast food cause obesity? In short... yes. While it is certainly not the only

cause, in conjunction with other factors, fast food restaurants are a big part of the

obesity problem.

1.Unhealthy Ingredients

There are many types of fast food restaurants – from burgers to pizza to chicken

to tacos, but despite their unique menus, the underlying content of their food is

the same. Most fast food ingredients contain more energy, total fat, saturated fat,

carbohydrates and added sugars than healthier food of the same weight. As a

result of these less healthy ingredients, eating fast food has been found to be

directly associated with both being overweight and exceeding the recommended

levels of fat and sugar.

2. Low Cost Makes Fast Food Cause Obesity

Researchers at the University of Washington found that a 2,000-calorie diet of

junk food costs 10 times less than a 2,000 calorie healthy diet. This low cost of fast

food encourages people to choose it over more expensive healthier food, which is

a big reason that lower-income individuals are more likely to be obese.

3. Convenience Makes Fast Food Cause Obesity

The final factor that makes fast food cause obesity is its convenience, or more

specifically, how close fast food restaurants are to your home, job or school. For

instance, children that have a fast food restaurant within 0.10 miles of their school

have a 5.2% greater chance of being obese. For pregnant women, the same

distance to fast food restaurants increases their obesity odds by 2.5%. No other

restaurant types have any correlation with obesity rates.