One Hamburger May Be Bad for Health: Fast Foods Hurt Performance

People who know me, or read my articles, know some things about me. Some of the things that people know about me include: I like good food, I try to eat healthy food and I like an occasional fast food hamburger.

Contradictions? I didn't really think so. However, a column published in Real Age (realage.com) may change my thinking about that.

Real Age published an article about a study that compared two groups of women. In the study the women were divided into two groups. One group was given a fatty fast food breakfast with a sausage breakfast sandwich, and egg breakfast sandwich and hash brown potatoes. The other group of women was given a low fat morning meal of cereal, skim milk, fat free yogurt, fruit bar and orange juice.

The women were put under duress two hours later, by being given a stressful task to perform.. The tasks included timed math problems or public speaking. The results found that the women who ate fast food didn't fare well. The women's blood pressure reading went haywire from the strain.

Blood pressure elevation is significant because over reactive cardiovascular systems have been associated with health problems such as high blood pressure and disease of the heart .

Now wait, I thought, the study didn't use hamburgers. They used greasy sausage and egg sandwiches in the study group. The damaging effect came fro the greasy aspect of the food. Fast food hamburger are usually somewhat greasy, so the presumption that a fast food hamburger would have the same effect on blood pressure as a fast food breakfast sandwich.

Another hazard of saturated fat in the diet appears to be increased risk of diabetes. Saturated fats can increase insulin sensitivity and the metabolic syndrome. There are conditions that increase the risk of diabetes.

Fat intake should be watched closely. All fats can cause weight gain. Healthy fats, such as in nuts, avocados, fish and olive oil can be eaten in moderation.

Real Age has a website that calculates the relationship between health habits and age. Bad habits may cause you to be older than your chronological age. Unhealthy habits result in a real age that is lower than your chronological age. According to Read Age, keeping blood pressure and 115/76 mm hg can make real age as much as 12 years younger than chronological age.

The American Heart Association has suggestions for people who still want to eat at fast food restaurants. Although most the the menu items at the fast food counter or drive through lane are not considered health foods, there are some offerings that are less fatty. Obviously, you should avoid fried food, which includes the fast food staple, french fries. Diners should also beware of fatty toppings, special sauce that is mayonnaise based, bacon, and cheese.

Avoid foods such as danish, fried chicken, tacos, french fires, potato chips and milkshakes. Try less fatty foods, such as small bagel, grilled chicken, sliced meats, salad minus fatty dressings, chicken fajitas pita's, baked potato, pretzels, baked potato chips, juice and fat free milk. The American Heart Association suggestions do allow a small, 2 ounce hamburger on a bun with lettuce tomato and onion.

So is an occasional fast food hamburger really bad for you? Fatty foods, such as hamburgers can be bad for health. There are short term and long term effects from eating fatty fast food. My guess would be that an occasional lean meat hamburger, without fatty toppings, isn't terrible, but it's not the best either. Many health experts seem to recommend skipping beef altogether.

Hamburgers are a quick and easy food at fast food restaurants are getting better at offering low fat options. The low fat options, as recommended by the American Heart Association are the better choice for heart health.

The information in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical condition, consult a physician.