Western Fast Food Causes Modern Diseases
Western Fast Food Causes Modern Diseases
According to CCTV International: Recently, Professor William Cannell from Boston University School of Medicine suggested China should restrict the rapid expansion of American-style fast food and promote healthier traditional Chinese cuisine. Western fast food is a major cause of obesity and various diseases.
In 1983, joint research by Chinese and American scientists proved that Chinese diets surpass Western ones in nutritional quality. One reason: Western fast food contributes significantly to obesity.
Researcher Yang Yuexin from the Institute of Nutrition and Hygiene at the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine believes that the growing number of Western fast food outlets in China correlates with rising obesity rates, increasing incidence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Fast food causes gradual weight gain—mainly because calorie intake far exceeds daily requirements.
Yang Yuexin categorizes Western fast food roughly into three types: First, main meals—such as instant noodles, hamburgers, baked goods (bread), frozen foods, fried chicken pieces, beef slices, and sausages. Second, beverages—beer, soda, cola, fruit juice, instant coffee. Third, snacks—fries, salads, shrimp chips, nuts, ice cream, and other fried or puffed foods.
The danger lies in high-calorie, fried, and baked items with excessive fat content—far exceeding an adult’s daily requirement. Excess fat accumulates as subcutaneous fat or deposits in blood vessels and vessel walls, creating risks for cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, sugary drinks also contribute to obesity. For instance, colas—now dominating the Chinese market—along with various fruit juices and sodas, attract and control the tastes of both children and adults, becoming mainstream beverages. These drinks contain large amounts of artificial flavorings, sugar, and synthetic colorings. Long-term consumption leads to obesity due to excessive sugar intake. For example, a standard 250 ml soda contains 35–38 grams of sugar but no nutrients—easily causing sugar overload.
Snacks like shrimp chips, fries, lamb skewers, and chicken nuggets are mostly deep-fried. These foods are high in sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate. After high-temperature frying, most vitamins are destroyed. These foods have several harmful effects: they alter children’s appetite and preference for regular meals; trigger obesity and hypertension (adults who eat such foods regularly also gain weight); and cause behavioral abnormalities in children, such as hyperactivity and overexcitement.
Researcher Yang Yuexin notes recent findings indicate that Western fast food—including fried Chinese dishes—should not be eaten after sitting overnight. Besides high fat content, the increased levels of peroxides in leftover food cause greater harm to the human body.