• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Fast Food Diet Ups Metabolic Syndrome Risk

Posted on: Wednesday, 23 January 2008, 12:00 CST

Consumption of a Western dietary pattern including two or more servings of meat a day is linked to metabolic syndrome, a U.S. study of healthy adults found.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors including elevated waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL or good cholesterol and high fasting glucose levels. Three or more of these factors increases a person's risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Fried foods are typically synonymous with commonly eaten fast foods, so I think it is safe to say that these findings support a link between fast-food consumption and an increase in metabolic risk factors, study co-author Lyn M. Steffen of the University of Minnesota said in a statement.

The researchers monitored the dietary intake of 9,514 study participants ages 45 to 64 years old using a 66-item food frequency questionnaire and after nine years nearly 40 percent had metabolic syndrome.

The study published in the journal Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found meat, fried foods and diet soda were all significantly associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome, but consumption of dairy products was beneficial.

Source: United Press International

More News in this Category