The Horrible Junkfood Effects

How often have you passed that vada pav stand and craved for one yummy bite of that delicious treat? But if vada pav is not your thing, how about when you pass a place serving burgers, wraps or maybe samosa? Feel that craving? Well, all these treats are called junk food. As per the dictionary meaning of junk food, it is considered something useless, extra or something that is not needed. Not only are those foods extremely unhealthy, they also impacts various aspects of your life. Here’s how.

It can cause type 2 diabetes: One of major contributing factors for the emerging diabetes epidemic is unhealthy diet full of junk and fast food. When you eat a healthy diet, your body gets a steady supply of glucose, which helps maintain insulin sensitivity. On the other hand, when you eat only junk food, the excessive stress exerted on your metabolism affects the ability of your body to use insulin properly. Since junk food lacks fibre content, its consumption directly results in a spike in sugar levels. Further, junk food consumption leads to obesity, one of the main reasons for insulin resistance and development of diabetes.

It can trigger 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. Try this  yoga pose to improve digestion.

It causes 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.

Causes depression among teenagers: A lot of hormonal changes occur in teenagers, which makes them susceptible to mood swings and behavioural changes. And a healthy diet plays an important role in maintaining that hormonal balance. Because junk food lack those essential nutrients, the likelihood of teenagers to suffer from depression is increased by 58 percent. Here are some facts you need to know about depression.

It causes fluctuations in blood sugar levels: Junk food is high in refined sugar which exerts stress on your metabolism. Refined sugar causes the pancreas to secrete more amount of insulin in 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.

It affects the brain function: A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity shows 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. Try these home remedies to boost your brain power.

It increases the risk of heart disease: Junk food items are loaded with saturated fats and trans fats that directly increase triglyceride and bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in the blood, contributing to plaque formation and heart disease. Further, causing a sudden spike in blood sugar level increases, junk food damages the linings of the blood vessels causing chronic inflammation. This inflammation causes bad cholesterol to stick to the walls of the arteries, blocking blood flow to the heart. When they’re blocked enough, heart attack occurs. Fats from junk food can accumulate over a period of time in your body to make you obese. The more weight you put on, the higher your risk of suffering from heart attack. Refer to these heart healthy diet tips for people with heart diseases.

It can cause kidney disease: The reason why you can never say no to fries and chips is because they contain high amount of finely processed salt which increases salivation and secretion of enzymes that enhance your cravings for these foods. High amount of bad fats and sodium from salt disrupts the sodium-potassium balance of the body and causes hypertension. Since the kidney have to filter all the toxins from the blood, eating a lot of junk food has a direct effect on the kidney functioning.

It can damage your liver: Surprisingly, junk food consumption over a period of time can have similar harmful effect on the liver as alcohol consumptions does. A study reported that people who ate junk food and shunned exercise showed changes in liver enzymes within four weeks. These changes were similar to those observed in people with alcohol abuse. According to some studies, it’s the high level of trans fats found in a number of junk food which cause liver dysfunction due to deposition in the liver.

It increases your risk of cancer: Lack of fibre is the main reason why junk food consumption is linked to an increased risk of cancers of the digestive system. A study published in European Journal of Cancer Prevention revealed that consuming too much of fast food that are high in sugar and fat can increase your chances of developing colorectal cancer. Another study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle showed that men who ate fried foods more than twice in a month had increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Here are 10 simple ways to prevent cancer.

Energy and Focus

According to the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, diet has a significant effect on children’s study habits. Junk food and foods with high sugar content deplete energy levels and the ability to concentrate for extended periods of time. Energy and focus are especially crucial for school-age children. Children set the foundation for lifelong habits in their youth, making junk food particularly hazardous to their well-rounded development. Physical activity is also essential for children of all ages, and regularly eating junk food does not provide the necessary nutrients children need for sufficient energy to engage in physical activity. A lack of physical activity is harmful to physical and mental well being and may also exclude a child from critical social development.

Self-Esteem and Depression

Self-esteem and confidence in oneself are especially important to growing children, and regularly consuming junk food can negatively impact this sense of self. According to “Kids Health Club” magazine, junk food can affect a child’s physical development in detrimental ways, including unhealthy weight gain, which can result in self-esteem problems. Low self-esteem can lead to consequences like depression. Nutritionists at MayoClinic.com also report eating junk food can potentially cause depression on its own. According to the journal “American Family Physician,” depression -- which can be very dangerous for children -- has negative impacts on growth and development, performance in school and social relationships and can ultimately lead to suicide.

Effects on Society

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the definition of obesity is when your body mass index (BMI) is 30.0 or higher. BMI is a calculation of your height and weight. You can calculate your BMI here. There’s also a category referred to as “extreme obesity,” which is defined as a BMI of 40. Across all race groups, one in three Americans is considered obese while one in 20 is considered extremely obese. Those statistics are higher in the black and Latino communities. Approximately 75 percent of people in these groups who are over age 20 are considered obese.

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) reports that the number of fast food outlets has doubled since 1970, a period during which the number of obese Americans also doubled. It’s likely that many factors have contributed to the obesity epidemic, but the correlation between the availability of cheap and fattening fast food and national weight increase is stark. Obesity increases the likelihood of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes, joint problems, and more. In 2008, obesity-related medical costs were estimated at $147 billion. Diabetes alone was estimated to be responsible for $69 billion just in lost productivity. Numbers like these suggest that the costs of cheap fast food are surprisingly high.

Source: http://www.healthline.com/health/fast-food-effects-on-body#sthash.OIaatzTP.dpuf

Eko Prambudi

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