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n many developed countries, people consume fast food between one to three times a week, with research by the CDC in the U.S. showing that the percentage of adults that do so increases as family incomes rise. The statistics are testimony to the link between stressful lifestyles and unhealthy foods, with many adults resorting to takeaway and quick meals as a result of a poor work-life balance. The food you eat affects both your physical and mental health in many ways. A diet that is high in calories, carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats is linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and depression. Fast food also weakens your immune system. Check out the latest research on the subject and consider detoxing from unhealthy foods to give your body the best chance it has to fight off infections.
THE SURPRISING EFFECTS THAT FAST FOOD HAVE ON YOUR IMMUNITY WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS
FAST FOOD MAKES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM MORE AGGRESSIVE When you consume a high-fat, high-calorie diet, your immune system reacts to it in the same way it would to a bacterial infection – as found in research conducted in 2018 by University of Bonn researchers. That is, this type of diet makes the body’s defences more aggressive and even after you switch to a healthy diet, inflammation and overstimulation of the immune system prevail. This is because your immune system has a kind of ‘memory’. After an infection or unhealthy meal, it remains in a state of alarm so it can react more quickly to a new attack. It then produces changes to your DNA that can lead to the development of diseases like Type 2 diabetes, clogged arteries, and more.
SALTY FOODS WEAKEN THE IMMUNITY Fast foods often contain high amounts of salt 174 / JANUARY 2022 ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE
