American Fast Food Aggravates Heart Disease Risk in Asians

According to a new research in the American Heart Association's Journal, Southeast Asians who regularly binge on hamburgers, pizza, hotdogs and french-fries are at risk of dying from coronary heart disease or developing type II diabetes.

Many people question themselves, "Are Fast food addiction really bad?" The answer is a resounding yes. The reason why most the people go for fast food is because it is easily available, appetizing and definitely does not drain your wallet.

This doesn't mean that on should gulp down the high calorie food that is served in large portions, stuffed with processed meat and highly refined carbohydrates. These food items are too high in sodium and cholesterol and have poor dietary fat profile.

The researchers found that, Chinese adults living in Singapore who reported eating American-style fast food twice a week were 56 percent more likely to die of heart disease and 27 percent more likely to develop diabetes compared to those eating none. Furthermore, Chinese-Singaporeans eating fast food four times or more each week had nearly an 80 percent increased risk of dying from coronary heart disease, researchers said.

The researchers conducted a study on subjects who were 45-7 years old when they enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. In the 16-year study (1993-2009) of 52,584 Chinese-Singaporeans, 1,397 died from coronary heart disease and 2,252 new cases of diabetes occurred

At the beginning of the study the researchers conducted in person interviews and specially designed food frequency questionnaire tailored for this population assessing 165 food items commonly consumed.

He study showed that those who had American-style fast food frequently, ate less vegetables (excluding white potatoes), dairy products, rice, carbohydrates and dietary fiber. They were also younger, less likely to have high blood pressure, better educated, smoked less and more likely to be physically active.  This profile is normally associated with lower cardio-metabolic risk.

Andrew Odegaard, Minnesota post-doctoral researcher, who led the study said, "We wanted to examine the association of Western-style fast food with cardio-metabolic risk in a Chinese population in Southeast Asia that has become a hotbed for diabetes and heart disease. What we found was a dramatic public health impact by fast food, a product that is primarily a Western import into a completely new market."

The study's results suggest the need for more attention to global behavioural and dietary changes that occur as cultures interact with one another. The study was funded by National Institutes of Health.