Junk food is a food which comprises less nutritional values and high amount of calories. For years, junk foods have fascinated people by their attractive colors and savored the taste buds. With their ideal array of flavor and varieties, junk foods are appealing to the young and old alike. Conversely, these foods filled with zero nutritional value and empty calories offer various challenges in terms of health benefits.
The term “junk food” was first invented by the director of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson in the year 1972. He was commended for revealing the harmful effects associated with junk food with its use of additives such as salt, trans-fat and food colors. He intended to enhance awareness among people regarding Junk food, which often leads to various life-threatening diseases.
Junk foods are frequently reported to cause a wide range of health problems. Ingredients of junk foods that are artificial and contain high fat or sugar are not meant to be eaten consistently. These ingredients can also be addicting for many consumers and can cause withdrawal impacts if the patient attempts to stop ingesting these foods. Consuming junk food containing these ingredients on regular basis can lead to certain health problems including:
Weight gain: Fast Food is renowned for its plentiful use of oil, butter, cheese and additional fatty constituents. With the increased uptake of pizzas and burgers obesity has become a severe issue seen amongst people nowadays.
Most junk foods contain high levels of fats and carbohydrates but are low in fiber and other nutrients, which provide your body with vitamins and minerals. This means you do not eat adequate components to keep you healthy and switch to piling up many added calories in your fat deposits. Attaining extra weight can not only destroy your looks, but it can threaten your life. Certain people eat more than what is worthy for them in the form of junk food, which causes unnecessary weight and numerous health problems. This also enhances the hazard of having a stroke or developing heart diseases.
Liver damage: Liver damage is a substantial risk related with consuming fast food, although it is not commonly discoursed. Junk food often includes trans-fat, a synthetic fat that is used as a preservative so that junk foods can stay for long periods of time before they are consumed. As the body works to eliminate this fat from our system it can accumulate in the liver and causes impairment. This is very analogous to the damage which is caused by the regular consumption of alcohol. If this is kept unchecked, it can cause liver failure.
Cardiovascular diseases: Junk food mostly contains high sodium content. High sodium uptake increase blood pressure as well as badly effects the functioning of kidneys. High blood pressure is a primary cause of heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, stroke and other ailments. Recent researches encourage us to ingest less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day which is equal to about a teaspoon of table salt.
Regular consumption of fast food that is high in cholesterol and sodium can cause harm to the cardiovascular system. Cholesterol may enhance the risk of having a stroke or heart attack by blocking the arteries. Increased levels of sodium found in burgers, pizzas, sodas, supplemented meat products or fries will elevate your blood pressure, which can also intensify the risk of stroke or heart attack with the passage of time. As your cardiovascular system becomes less efficient it can be challenging to perform certain physical tasks that will let you to sustain your health.
