Fast Food Linked to Obesity, Insulin Problems

People who eat fast food frequently are more likely to gain weight and develop insulin resistance, and such eating habits may increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, new research claims. "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. This is the first long-term investigation to show the link between fast food, weight gain and insulin resistance; it appears in the Jan. 1 issue of the The Lancet. Ludwig and his colleagues produced an alarming sequence of statistics to show the toll obesity is taking in the United States. About 30 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, compared to only 23 percent during the period 1988 to 1994. The prevalence of overweight rose by 50 percent in children and adolescents during the past decade, to about 15 percent of all people in that age segment. And obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths and $100 billion in annual health-care costs, according to the researchers. The repercussions of obesity and type 2 diabetes continue far and wide. A new study by UCLA researchers found that advanced heart failure patients with diabetes who are treated with insulin have a death rate four times higher than similar patients treated with oral medications. Between 25 percent and 44 percent of heart failure patients also have diabetes, according to the study, which appears in the January issue of the American Heart Journal. [more] and [more]