January 5, 2006

Food News: Fast Food More Than Twice Weekly Adds Pounds

"People who eat too much fast food gain more weight and are more likely to develop early signs of diabetes.
That`s the conclusion of a study of more than 3,000 white and black American adults. Participants reported their fast-food dining habits for 15 years, starting when they were 18-30 years old.

"Appropriate action would be to reduce portions to normal sizes, and to sell burgers of lean meat, whole-grain bread or buns, fat-reduced mayonnaise, more vegetables, lower-fat fried potatoes, and reduced-sugar soft drinks," writes Arne Astrup, in an accompanying editorial in The Lancet.

In the study, those who ate fast food more than twice a week gained 10 more pounds during the study than participants who ate fast food less than once a week. They also doubled their insulin resistance, a sign of early diabetes."

Full article here.