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Most people today have some degree of awareness about the threat that fast food and junk food poses to one’s health. Unfortunately, most of us don’t fully appreciate the extent of this risk and even fewer of us recognize that merely living near fast food restaurants can increase your risk of developing type-2 diabetes! This is no exaggeration, but is the stark finding of a recent study that appeared in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS Medicine.
The Link Between Fast Food Restaurants & Diabetes Explained
With the rising incidence of diabetes worldwide, researchers were keen to explore the relationship between food environments and the threat of diabetes via two risk factors – the impact on diet and obesity. While this connection is well-established in developed western nations, the association hadn’t been examined in low to middle-income countries. This gap has now been filled in, as the study specifically focused on Southeast Asia, including parts of the Indian subcontinent.
The study was quite extensive, involving over 12,000 people and spanned two years. Researchers gathered data on diabetes diagnosis history, fasting blood sugar levels, location, and presence of fast-food retailers and their types (within a distance of 300 metres from each home). The researchers then categorised the food options as healthy or unhealthy, accordingly generating a food environment map. The study revealed that people who lived in an area with a high concentration of unhealthy fast-food eateries had a 16 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes.
A study among veterans living in the US, which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open last year, had also arrived at similar conclusions. They also observed a lower diabetes risk among those in areas with access to healthy food stores selling fresh produce.
Why Food Environment Matters
Environmental factors are increasingly recognised for their significant impact on eating choices and behaviour. Living in an area with a high density of unhealthy fast-food restaurants encourages unhealthy eating choices and facilitates spending on such foods. Individuals in such areas are constantly bombarded with imagery and odours that increase cravings for fast food.
This is problematic as most fast foods tend to be high in saturated and trans fats, processed carbs, salt, and sugar. High intake of such foods is associated with increased triglyceride levels, as well as weight gain because of the low nutritional quality and high caloric value of these foods. Both excess weight and high triglyceride levels are known to be major risk factors for diabetes.
Similarly, high salt content of fast foods is linked to high blood pressure, which is also a risk factor for diabetes. It also increases the risk of diabetes complications such as kidney damage. Additionally, fast foods tend to be high in calories and processed carbs, which are broken down rapidly, thereby causing blood sugar levels to spike.
All of these factors work together, creating a vicious cycle in which individuals make unhealthy food choices, which only increase cravings for fast food. As fast-food intake remains consistently high, the risk of diabetes keeps increasing. Being aware of the impact of environmental factors on your food choices can help you to make a conscious effort to eat healthy.
