Health Insurance Daily

Fast Food And The Health Care Impact On Our Kids

By Amy Kiley Ertel, MD
Our lives are very busy these days, and sitting down for a nice dinner is almost impossible. As a mother of four children, trying to find time to sit and eat dinner as a family is difficult, and usually only occurs a couple of days a week. The remaining days are left to quick meals, and yes, fast-food restaurants.

A recent study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and published in the January 1 issue of The Lancet*, has noted that young adults who frequent fast-food restaurants gain more weight and have an increased incidence of insulin resistance in early middle age. Specifically, after the age of 15, the study found that eating at fast-food restaurants more than twice a week gave rise to young adults gaining an extra 10 pounds and a 2-fold increase in insulin resistance.

With the obesity problem in America today and the rise in Type II Diabetes, exposing our children to a life of fast-food instills habits that perpetuate the obesity and increased diabetes trend. So, for the health of our children and nation, packing a dinner from home and eating it in the car may be the best alternative for those busy schedules.

* "Fast-food Habits, Weight Gain, and Insulin Resistance (The CARDIA Study): 15-year Prospective Analysis". Mark Pereira, Alex I. Kartachov, Cara B. Ebbeling, Linda Van Horn, Martha L. Slattery, David R. Jacobs, Jr., David S. Ludwig. The Lancet, January 1, 2005.

posted by Mike @ 8:20 AM