11 CONSEQUENCES OF JUNK FOOD FOR HEALTH - NUTRITION - 2025

Some of the consequences of junk food or junk food that affect human health the most are weight gain, fluid retention, respiratory problems, increased risk of cancer or even worse cognitive functioning.

A fast pace of life and stress can cause people to decide to consume junk food in amounts that are harmful to their body. Either for the excuse of not having time to cook or for not being able to resist the charm of a hamburger with fries, each year the rates of obesity and of people who die from heart conditions derived from a poor diet increase.

Junk food does not only have effects on the cardiac or respiratory level, but it also worsens functioning on a psychological level and can also affect levels of self-esteem, since it influences obesity.

What are the consequences of junk food?

Weight gain and type 2 diabetes

Without a doubt, this is one of the most notable aspects in those people who consume junk food daily. Although the damage also occurs internally, obesity is the external physical warning that something is not right in the body.

If a person suffers a considerable weight gain, beyond appearance, this usually affects their mobility, causing intense pain in parts such as the knees, hips and back.

This occurs because in many cases junk food is highly processed and contains large amounts of sugars, sodium, carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. This enormous increase in calories is added to the little nutritional contribution that the person receives.

That is, their body and mind are satisfied, but nutritionally empty food, therefore, even if they have eaten a lot of calories, the person will not be compensated for a long time and will eat again. This vicious circle in addition to factors such as sedentary lifestyle, make junk foods lead to obesity.

Disproportionate weight gain can also cause type 2 diabetes. When the diet is healthy, the flow of glucose is constant and insulin sensitivity is maintained.

Fast food, lacking in fiber, can affect the functioning of insulin causing a disproportionate increase in blood sugar levels

High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease

Fast food is mainly made up of fried foods, which contain high levels of saturated fat. Therefore, abusing that little taste to save time or money can lead to future blood pressure and heart disease.

This may be due, among many factors, to the fact that salt increases blood pressure and, in turn, fats increase the levels of triglycerides and bad cholesterol in the blood.

When these two factors come together they cause the formation of plaques, which adhere to the walls of the arteries and block the flow of blood to the heart. High cholesterol is a silent attacker, as it has no symptoms and can only be detected by a blood test.

Loss of flexibility in the arteries can occur in any of the blood vessels in the body. Therefore, when the person suffers from high cholesterol they are more prone to developing a stroke.

Also, if some of the plaques rupture and release cholesterol, they can cause a clot that prevents blood flow to the heart and organs.

People who overeat these types of foods are 35% more likely to have a heart attack. Each year 7.4 million people die from cardiovascular disease.

Depression, anxiety, confusion, and fatigue

People who are going through a difficult time turn to fast food to vent their sorrows. A study showed that junk food and sadness can go hand in hand. Burgers, pizzas and hot dogs are the foods most requested by people suffering from anxiety and depression.

The lack of good fats and omega-3 fatty acids in junk food can create a more anxious state of mind. This also occurs because the high amount of refined carbohydrates intervenes in the levels of sugars in the blood, and when these decrease, the person can suffer tremors, fatigue and confusion.

Individuals who ate fast food are 51% more likely to develop depression. The most affected are usually adolescents because the various hormonal changes can make them susceptible to changes in behavior and mood.

To counteract these hormonal effects, it is important to eat a healthy diet and as fast food lacks the essential nutrients for that balance, if it is consumed too often, the risk of suffering from depression increases 58% in these people.

Its components such as sugars, salt, flavorings and additives make it can cause addiction in people.

Inflammation and fluid retention

Large amounts of sodium are added to foods in junk foods, either to enhance their flavor or to use as a preservative. Normal sodium levels for an adult person should be less than 1,500 milligrams per day and you should never consume more than 2,300 milligrams.

The problem is that a single fast food can exceed that amount of 2300. When there is too much sodium, the body produces fluid retention and this causes the individual to suffer from this in various parts of their body.

This problem affects men and women equally. An edema is the swelling of tissues and can occur in the feet, ankles, legs, hands, faces and belly. In addition to the person looking very bloated, fluid retention can cause rapid and unexplained weight gain. Being able to increase up to 3 kilos in just 24 hours.

But there is more, the type of toxin they use to coat plastic food and beverage containers are harmful to health and disrupt the endocrine system. That inflammation could cause a host of health problems, ranging from a deficiency in absorbing nutrients to obesity.

Worsening memory and cognitive functioning

In addition to depression and anxiety, the daily consumption of junk food can affect memory and general cognitive functioning.

That is, hamburgers, chickens and French fries not only affect the heart, but also saturated fats intervene in brain function, and slow down the speed of prospective memory, which is in charge of remembering what was going to happen. do the person at a certain time.

One study revealed that individuals who ate fast food for 5 consecutive days scored poorly on their attention, mood, and cognitive speed.

This stems from the fact that poor and toxic diets can generate certain chemical reactions, which in turn affect and inflame the hippocampus associated with memory and recognition.

When food contains large amounts of sugars and fats, the brain suppresses the activities responsible for memory and learning. Eating too many calories can interfere with the healthy production and function of the brain synapse responsible for memories.

May decrease fertility

Junk food can be considered a silent contraceptive. A study carried out by a well-known magazine focused on fertility, confirmed that women who eat fast food every day have difficulty getting pregnant.

5598 women who had not previously had children were used for the research. The results showed that those who ate a maximum of 3 fruits in 30 days and their diet was full of fast food, took half a month longer to get pregnant, compared to those who had healthier eating habits.

As fats, calories and sugars generate so much hormonal lack of control, it is recommended that those women who are looking for a child, minimize these types of foods as much as possible, so that their fertility increases considerably.

Researchers continue to search for specific dietary patterns to determine other foods that slow the process of conceiving.

Kidney and stomach problems

People who are addicted to junk food, at some point in their life could suffer from digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome or reflux.

This is because most of these foods are fried and the oil from the food is deposited on the walls of the stomach, increasing the production of acids that irritate it and worsen the reflux in digestion. In turn, the lack of fibers affects the body to expel waste, causing problems of constipation, hemorrhoids or constipation.

Although the individual knows that he is doing harm to his body, the reason why he does not refuse a plate of potato chips is that its high level of processed salts increases salivation and the secretion of enzymes that interfere in the increase from the craving for this type of food.

However, high levels of fat and sodium directly affect the kidneys, which are responsible for filtering toxins from the blood.

Therefore, consuming junk food could put them to work doubly, until reaching a point where diseases such as stones and even kidney failure occur, which would lead to the use of therapies such as dialysis so that the body can expel all those toxins.

Stress and lack of time are the ideal excuses to swap healthy foods for a couple of servings of fast food. Also, it is common for children and adolescents to prefer these foods to vegetables and fruits. According to several studies, junk food can cause asthma, rhinitis, and many other allergies.

Adolescents who are used to ingesting them, at least three times a week, increase their risk of respiratory problems by 39%.

The soft drinks, sweets and sausages that are part of the menu contain sulfur derivatives, causing the immune system to be more prone to triggering asthma. Clearly, fat makes you overweight and obesity puts a strain on the heart, causing the lungs to have to work even harder to get the oxygen they need.

When cholesterol levels are extremely high, oxygen cannot move easily through the body, and this could be life-threatening.

To prevent this from happening, the ideal is to change that lifestyle and bad eating habits. If the person is a lover of fast food chains, they can help their body to get rid of all those toxins by eating fruits and doing physical activity.

Skin problems, decreased muscle mass and bone density.

Fast food often causes skin problems such as acne and the accumulation of fat in certain areas of the body, known as cellulite. These aesthetic problems almost always affect women more than men.

Contrary to popular belief, fried components are not the only culprit; Simple sugars, white flour, and empty carbohydrates also play a role in the appearance of these blemishes.

But beyond the external, there is a much more serious condition that in many cases is not noticed until a certain age: bone density. The muscles are responsible for protecting the bones, but with an unhealthy diet and low in protein, they do not have the necessary nutrients to develop and there is a decrease in muscle mass. On the other hand, high sodium intake can cause bones to weaken, leading to possible osteoporosis.

This disease is becoming more and more frequent and studies have stipulated that it usually occurs in countries with high consumption of junk food. Although it is thought that it is a problem only in the elderly population, there are many young people who are presenting problems in the density of their bones and realize when a slight fall generates fractures.

Increase the risk of cancer

According to research, people who consume junk food excessively are more likely to get cancer than those who only do so occasionally. The study time was one year, and during that period the researchers were able to measure the risks of contracting cancer under these nutritional conditions.

Those who ate the most junk food were prone to colorectal, stomach, and respiratory tract cancer (comprising lips, mouth, tongue, parts of the esophagus, and trachea). Men were shown to be more vulnerable to developing lung cancer, while in women it was liver and breast cancer.

Self esteem issues

Eating junk food can put a person into a cycle that is difficult to get out of. First you eat junk food to alleviate anxiety or depression problems, this makes you gain weight, which influences self-esteem, which in turn leads to more depression or anxiety problems.