Junk food has become very common in our daily lives. Many people love to eat junk food every day because they are readily available and taste good to buds. But most of them don’t know the harmful effects of junk food. To make you aware of the harmful effects of junk food. We are going to discuss 10 harmful effects of junk food in this article.
When we go out somewhere or we don’t have time to cook. We try to satisfy our appetite with junk food. This food satisfies our hunger but doesn’t have any nutritional value. In this way, our body’s nutritional requirements are not met.
Before discussing the harmful effects of junk food. We should know,
What is Junk Food?
The term ‘junk food’ refers to food that has little or no nutritional value, and makes up a large portion of popular diets. Junk food includes high amounts of fat, salt and sugar leading to obesity, disease and health problems. These foods are difficult to digest and don’t contain any nutrients your body needs for maintenance. Junk food also tends to be highly processed and leads to many harmful effects on the body. From which 10 harmful effects of junk food we are going to discuss here.
10 Harmful Effects of Junk Food
Below are 10 harmful effects of Junk food:
Acne
When we talk about the harmful effects of junk food, Acne is at the top. Junk food often contains a bunch of added sugars and many empty carbs. Added sugar results in high blood sugar levels and therefore high insulin levels, which influence hormones like IGF-1, responsible for rapid cell division, oily skin, and the formation of acne.
Weight Gain.
While having junk food in your diet., you will definitely gain weight, as junk food has a lot of calories which your body cannot utilize. So it will be stored in the form of fat. Fructose, which is often added to beverages as a sweetener, is especially dangerous because it is converted into fat much faster than other types of sugar, like glucose.
High Cholesterol.
Junk food, especially fried foods, contains a lot of fatty acids. The fatty acids are circulating in the blood via a so-called low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Intracellular lipid accumulation can occur via LDL modifications in the arteries, which can lead to plaque formation. This in turn increases the chance of strokes or other cardiovascular diseases making harmful effects on the body.
Bloating.
Sodium is a huge problem in junk food. The patties of burgers e.g. are seasoned with salt. The toppings are usually also very well salted. And of course, you eat your burger with salty fries. So the recommended maximum intake is exceeded pretty fast, leading to fluid retention and therefore a less efficient digestion and gas production, leaving you feeling bloated like a balloon.
Swelling.
Swelling in places like hands, arms, and feet is a typical side effect of too high sodium intake. Our body always wants to keep the balance between sodium and fluid, and if you consume too much sodium, water will be drawn out of the cell, put into the bloodstream and your extremities get swollen.
Mental Stress.
Studies suggest that a high-fat diet has an effect on your mental state as it impairs your memory. And not only that, it increases the risk for dementia, quick mood changes, and loss of appetite control, and you are more prone to falling into a depression. The psychological changes are due to hormone release & inhibition, short-lasting dopamine secretion, cortisol secretion and drops in the testosterone level.
Lack of Nutrients.
High calories and junk food are accompanied by low nutritional content. That means that you consume much without actually consuming much, which we call “empty calories”. You need vitamins and minerals to function psychologically and physiologically, and people who ate for one month straight only junk food almost DIED due to the lack of nutrients!
Poor Fitness.
If you want to build up muscle and strength, I think I don’t need to tell you that junk food won’t provide you with a well balanced fat-protein-ratio. Not only will you not be able to use the amino acids or proteins you consume in order to build muscle, but you will also have less testosterone secreted, which A) will help you actually in building up muscles and B) help you in finding the motivation to work out.
Poor Oral Health.
Another harmful effect of junk food is poor oral health. Poor oral health is just a result of the added sugar and the lack of nutrients, and especially processed red meat is responsible for the production of acids in the mouth, which favor bacterial growth and tooth decay.
Higher Chance of Getting Cancer.
It’s scientifically proven that processed food increases the chance of getting cancer, especially colon cancer. We uptake fat via bile acid, which binds to the fatty acids and makes them more soluble. The bacteria in our guts remove the glycine and the taurine from bile acid, whereas secondary bile acids like lithocholic acid are made, and THESE are carcinogenic.
Studies also revealed that the immune system reacts similarly to processed food as it does to pathogens or infections that can lead to symptoms similar to when you’re sick and result in a susceptible and exhausted immune state, which increases the chance of getting sick by a real infection.
10 More Harmful Effects of Junk Food on the Body
- Junk food kills your Appetite
- Junk food causes Diabetes
- Obesity is another harmful effect of Junk food
- Junk food gives you shortness of Breath
- Junk food also weakens your Bones
- Junk food affects the enamel of your teeth.
- Junk food makes skin Dull and Lifeless
- Kidney Diseases are also an effect of Junk food
- Junk food causes behavioral problems in children
- Junk food impacts the Nervous System
Conclusion:
We use a lot of junk food because of their taste and easy availability. But we must understand the harmful effects of junk food on the body. They have zero nutritious value but can harm a lot. We hope you like our effort about harmful effects of junk foods on our body. I f you think we missed something, tell us below in the comment box.