Junk foods How unhealthy they are

Fast foods are very popular for great taste and convenience.  Studies found three in 10 urban teens eat four to six meals a week at fast-food restaurants. Foods commonly considered junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food, and sugary carbonated beverages.  Many foods such as hamburgers, pizza, and tacos can be considered either healthy or junk food depending on their ingredients and preparation methods. In nut shell, highly processed food items usually fall under the junk food category. The Hundreds of multinational companies, restaurants are into fast food and processed food business having collective turnover in millions. They glamorise eating their products. While tasting the French fries, hamburger or Pizza, we never think, as how much harmful they may be for our health?

To enhance the taste, for better look, to preserve products longer and to make prices comfortable, much harmful stuffs are added in such products, not needed to mention the high calories, salt and sugar they contain. That’s why fast foods are the leading causes of child and adult obesity and many diseases.

Junk foods can lead to range of attendant health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. A new study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, indicates that damage to the arteries occurs almost immediately after just one junk food-type meal. Based on the science, moderation with junk food doesn’t really exist.

Here are the facts about how excessive junk food consumption affects your body.

Junk foods reduce body energy levels

High levels of sugar put your metabolism under stress; when you eat refined sugar, your pancreas secretes high amounts of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels.

Because fast food and junk food dont contain adequate amounts of protein and good carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly after some time of eating, leaving you grumpy, fatigued and craving sugar.

Junk food contributesobesity and poor performance

The high amount of fat, cream, sugar and calories in Junk foods accumulates in your body as fat, youll gain weight and could become obese. A 2007 survey from the July 2009 journal “Obesity” found that the average fast food lunch totaled 827 calories. In fact, a May 2012 study in “Obesity Surgery” suggested that among behavioural factors, fast food consumption had the most influence on the growing rate of severe obesity. The more weight you gain, the more youll be at risk for serious chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. You could even have a heart attack.

Junk food enhanceshypertension

The high levels of fat and sodium in junk food can cause high blood pressure or hypertension. Excessive dietary sodium can also have a negative effect on renal function, even leading to kidney disease. A healthy adult below 50 years of age or a teen should not consume more than 2,300 milligrams salt per day. It should be not more than 1,500 milligrams, if you are above 50 yers or having hypertension or kidney problems. Yet many fast-food restaurant items contain more than half that amount. 10 ounces of typical potato chips have 1,680 milligrams of sodium.

Junk Food Can Damage Liverand Heart

The high levels of fat and sodium in junk food and fast food can contribute to heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels and contributing to arterial plaque build up. According to a study by Dr. Gary Plotnick, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, within three to five hours after eating a high-fat meal, the blood vessels function abnormally. For a healthy person, this is usually a minor, temporary event. For someone with coronary disease, this could cause a cardiac event, such as a heart attack or stroke.

The high levels of trans fatty acids found in many junk foods and fast foods can lead to fatty liver deposits, which, over time, can cause liver dysfunction and cancer.

Junk Food Can Lead toDiabetes

Over time, the high levels of sugar and simple carbohydrates in junk food can lead to type 2 diabetes. This occurs because eating too much sugar puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat a lot of refined white sugar and simple carbohydrates, your body has to pump up insulin production to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels. 

Because junk food doesnt contain the protein or complex carbohydrates that your body needs to maintain consistent blood sugar levels, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly soon after eating. Youll crave sugar and likely end up eating more junk food.

Over time, this stress damages your bodys ability to use the insulin secreted by your pancreas. A healthy diet can help maintain your bodys insulin sensitivity.

Junk food may lead to Depression and Addiction

Studies linked fast foods to depression. According to “Public health nutrition” article 2012, those who eat junk foods regularly are 51% more likely to develop depression and more you eat greater the risk of depression will be.

Additionally, some research suggests -- but has not proven -- that fast food may be addictive, according to a September 2011 article in “Current Drug Abuse Reviews.”

Junk food increasesthe risk of Cancer

According to Corporate Accountability International, one-third of cancers are related to poor diet. This is often paired with the fact that obesity is closely linked with cancers of the colon, kidney and esophagus. All packaged foods contain high amount of Trans fats which is highly associated with risk of cancer and heart diseases.

Even in the short term, eating too much junk food can make you feel really uncomfortable. It can lead to mood swings and constipation, and lower your energy levels so that you lack interest in the exercise you need to burn off those extra calories. So friends! Please eat junk foods in minimal. 

You may also be interested in:

Love fast food? Work out hard to avoid obesity!

Packaged foods have much more trans-fat than you think

The Science of losing weight and belly fat

How to keep Kidneys healthy

Liver Enzymes What Are they Why Are they Important

Liver enzymes are proteins which help maintain a variety of chemical and metabolic processes that occur in the liver. The human liver contains thousands of these enzymes, and elevated liver enzymes may indicate damage to the liver cells or an obstruction to the biliary tract. Elevated liver enzymes don’t often indicate a specific liver disease, but elevated liver enzymes are probably the result of some form of liver disorder, even if you don’t have any symptoms of liver problems.These enzymes are also found in other parts of the body, including cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, kidneys, brain, pancreas and lungs and both white and red blood cells.It can be fairly common to get laboratory report of elevated liver enzymes. . To determine the underlying cause of elevated liver enzymes, your doctor may recommend additional tests. Tests might include a direct physical examination by the doctor, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, biopsy, and liver blood tests. There are few outward symptoms of severe liver disease. Possible symptoms, however, include pain in the lower right chest region, a noticeable size increase of the liver below the rib cage on the right, and visible jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes).The causes of elevated liver enzymes vary widely depending upon the level and duration liver problems as well as the overall comparison of many other blood test indications. Common causes of elevated liver enzymes include:Autoimmune disorders of the liver and bile ducts, such as autoimmune hepatitis. Diabetes Drinking too much alcohol Elevated triglycerides Excessive use of certain herbal supplements, such as kava, comfrey, pennyroyal and skullcap Infections such as viral hepatitis and mononucleosis Medications, including certain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cholesterol-lowering medications, antibiotics and anti-seizure medications Metabolic liver disease, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease Obesity Tumors of the liver or bile ducts.Treatment of elevated liver enzymes depends on the cause. It is especially important for you to talk to your doctor about any nutritional or herbal supplements you are taking. Many Chinese herbal preparations have been found to be extremely damaging to the liver and should be avoided as well as high doses of vitamin A and high doses of acetaminophen (Tylenol), especially if taken with alcohol. Sedatives and all unnecessary medications should also be avoided. Anyone who is overweight or obese should work with their doctor to try to take off some pounds. High fat diets can be stressful to the liver and cause injury. Most of all, it’s extremely important for anyone with elevated liver enzymes to avoid alcohol in all forms.

Are You Suffering From A Crohn’s Disease Fistula

There are many different terms you will hear from your doctor and other medical staff when you have Crohn’s, and the term crohn’s disease fistula might be one of them. This is something that happens within the body that gives no outward clue (in most cases) until an infection or problem has set in. A Crohn’s disease fistula can be described as a narrow tunnel that grows out from the small or large intestine. This then attaches to anything that it can find, such as the bladder, abdomen wall or your reproductive organs, sometimes forming a complete tunnel. For the most part, a fistula will grow from some part of your intestines. Though the bladder is a common target, these tunnels can go almost anywhere in the body, or at least, attach itself to anything nearby. If a women has problems with fistulas, they may attached to any part of the reproductive system. Even a woman who is fully aware that she has Crohn’s can mistake the pain for a reproductive problem that is not connected to the true cause of the problem or infection. It technically is a problem of the reproductive system, but treatment will be different because the root cause of the issue is Crohn’s.Infection is the biggest problem when it comes to fistulas, as you can well imagine. These carry the infection with them wherever they go. If it goes tunneling into the bladder, you are going to have to deal with a bladder infection. When this happens in regards to the reproductive system, there can be many problems that occur. When fistulas are not treated, the infection can spread in any direction. There are times when the fistulas go from one part of the intestine to the other, which in a way contains the infection, but treatment is still needed.When your doctor detects fistulas, treatment should begin at once. You may be a little freaked out, but there are many things you doctor can do. There are times when they go away on their own, but immediate treatment is always the best idea. One of the first things that can be done is to prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, and something for the infection. You may need a lot of antibiotics if the infection is widespread. Your doctor can also drain the fistula, remove the connecting tunnel between organs, and the close the hole with a surgical procedure.Once you know that you have a Crohn’s disease fistula, you can ask your doctor to tell you more. You might even want to ask before you get one. If you have crohn’s you have a one in four chance of getting them at some point in your life. These might be hard for you to detect on your own, because you may notice a bladder infection before you would realize that a crohn’s disease fistula has formed. Your doctor can tell you what to look for, and give you instructions in the event that you think this might be a problem. Fistulas need to be examined immediately, and care should not follow far behind.