Fast food linked to weight gain

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

According to a new study, those visiting fast food outlets twice a week or more gained more weight and had more insulin resistance than those who did not.
Fast food - burgers, pizza and the like - is calorie dense and often high in fat, sugar and salt. So you'd expect it to pile on the pounds. Surprisingly, though, this has never really been proven in a scientific study till now.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere now reveal that a group of young adults who frequented fast food restaurants twice a week or more were more likely to gain weight than those who went less than once a week. In the group, white women were the least likely to eat fast food. Both black and white adults also had a bigger increase in insulin resistance - which could precede diabetes - if they ate fast food.

However, the study was done over 15 years and in recent times there have been trends towards healthier eating in fast food outlets. Look out for salads, wholegrain buns, leaner meat burgers and reduced sugar soft drinks.

Source
The Lancet 1st January 2005