The ways in which the fast food

industry affects America’s health

By:Raymond Lin 5°
8/14/10
Most fast foods are high in calories, sodium, fat,
cholesterol, and sugar but low in nutrients.
Chances are, people who eat fast food regularly
aren’t getting the all the nutrients they need so
they gain weight but not much energy.
Typical 22oz sodas that you get at fast
food locations contain more than 200
calories, 50 grams of sugar and no
nutritional value whatsoever.
 Wendy’s “Triple Baconator” for
example has 1360 calories, 91
grams of fat, 305 mg of cholesterol
and 2780 mg of sodium
All the high calories, sodium, cholesterol, sugar,
fat, and sodium intake has been shown to
increase the risk for many diseases and health
problems including…
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Attacks
• Strokes
• Headaches
• Cancer
• Liver Problems
• Kidney Problems
• Various Other Cardiovascular Diseases
 OBESITY
More than 2/3 of Americans are overweight (BMI higher than
25), and of those 2/3, 30.6% of them are also obese with a
BMI (Body Mass Index) higher than 30.
America ranks as one of the world’s fattest
countries placing 9th overall and 1st in big
countries with a high population.
The highest percentage of obese
people are in Southern states
where fast food restaurants are
abundant everywhere.
 DIABETES

23.6 million people, or 7.8% of America’s

population is diagnosed with diabetes, a fatal
disease where a person has high blood glucose
either because their body cannot produce
enough insulin used to convert sugar and
starches into energy (Type 1) or their cells
fail to use the insulin properly (Type 2)
 CARDIOVASCULAR
DISEASES
81,100,000 people in
America have some
form cardiovascular
disease, that’s 26%.
It is the leading
cause of death of
death each year
with 831,272 deaths
in 2006 (34.3
percent of all deaths
or 1 of every 2.9
deaths).
 Consuming excessive amounts of
sodium increases the risks of high
blood pressure, the most common form
of cardiovascular disease
Heart Failure; 5,800,000
Stroke; 6,400,000

Coronary heart disease; 17,600,000

High blood pressure; 73,600,000

 PRESERVATIVES AND CHEMICALS

Many fast foods are filled with tons of preservatives and

chemicals to prevent the food from spoiling and improve the
appearance and in result killing the bacteria. In fact
experiments have shown that McDonald’s burgers and fries
decompose several times slower than other restaurants or
sometimes even not at all.
 High consumption of these
preservatives and chemicals have been
shown to increase the risks for cancer.
It also slows down the digestive
process and over time builds up toxins
in the body which causes all sorts of
problems.
 One of the most controversial fast food items is
McDonald’s “Chicken McNuggets” It has long been
dubbed one of the most additive filled foods there are,
probably the most infamous are TBHQ, an antioxidant
derived from petroleum and dimethylpolysiloxane a
antifoaming agent that is also found in Silly Putty.
Consuming high doses of TBHQ can be fatal and cause
tumors.
 According to the movie “Super Size Me” the
supposedly “100% Whole White Meat Chicken” in
McNuggets are from old and sick chickens that
can no longer lay eggs. They are mashed up in a
blender and put in a mold with corn starch to hold
it together. In fact, less than half of a Chicken
McNugget is actually chicken. About 56% of a
McNugget is made from some sort of corn product.
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"Diabetes Statistics." American Diabetes Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct 2010. <http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-
basics/diabetes-statistics/>.

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"Arby's Pepsi (22oz)." Fatsecret. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct 2010. <http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/arbys/pepsi-(22-oz)>.

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Wolfe, David. "The Dangers of Fast Food." Ezine Articles. N.p., October 17, 2008. Web. 12 Oct 2010. <http://ezinearticles.com/?
The-Dangers-of-Fast-Food&id=1592564>.

Lauren, Streib. "World's Fattest Countries." Forbes 08 Feb 2007: n. pag. Web. 12 Oct 2010.
<http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat.html>.

Graff, Amy. "McDonald's McNuggets made with 'Silly Putty' chemical." San Francisco Chronicle 28 June 2010: n. pag. Web. 13
Oct 2010. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=66729>.

McHargue, Ryan. "Tbhq Side Effects." eHow. N.p., November 03 2009. Web. 13 Oct 2010.
<http://www.ehow.com/facts_5594973_tbhq-side-effects.html>.