If you needed another reason to kick that late-night fast food habit, a revealing new study on the negative impact of fast food might provide just that. (Alicia Clarke, Alamy)
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TORONTO—If you needed another reason to kick that late-night McDonald’s habit, a revealing new study into the negative impact of fast food might provide just that.
A peer-reviewed study from Keck Medicine of USC published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that fast food consumption is associated with a life-threatening condition of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
“Our findings are particularly alarming because fast food consumption has increased over the past 50 years, regardless of socioeconomic status,” hepatologist and lead study author Ani Kardashian said in a statement. hurry.
It was found that people examined in the study who ate fast food as a fifth of their daily calories had very high levels of fat in their liver compared to those who ate less or none at all.
Even those who ate a relatively modest amount of fast food can experience liver damage, the study found.
Researchers analyzed recent data from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey, the largest annual nutrition survey in the United States, to determine how fast food consumption may impact fatty liver disease. hepatic, which is the condition caused by too much fat accumulation. in your liver.
Fast food was categorized as coming from either a drive-thru restaurant or a restaurant without wait staff in the study, including pizza.
The researchers compared the fatty liver measurements of about 4,000 adults in the survey to their consumption of fast food and found that 52% of those assessed ate fast food.
Of this group, 29 ate 20% or more of their daily calories from fast food. This percentage of people was the only one in the survey to show increased levels of fat in the liver.
The prevalence of the link between fast food and fatty liver disease was true for both the general population and for people with obesity or diabetes, even after adjusting the data for other factors such as age, gender, race , ethnicity, alcohol consumption and physical activity.
According to Statista, approximately 29% of Canadian adults aged 18 and older were obese in 2021, and 36% were overweight.
And while there have been other studies linking fast food and obesity, this is the first of its kind to find the impact on liver health, according to Kardashian.
Fat intake should be less than 30% of daily calories and to improve NAFLD, it is essential to consume anti-inflammatory foods high in mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, according to another study.
Foods such as avocados, nuts, and fish are some of the foods high in these beneficial fatty acids.
The researchers hope these findings will encourage healthcare providers to offer patients more dietary education in the future for those at higher risk of developing NAFLD from fast food, such as those with obesity or diabetes.
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