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Takeaway’s Twice Weekly Can Lead to Diabetes & Heart Disease
Two takeaways a week are enough to increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease, research shows. Young adults were more likely to have hidden health problems if they treated themselves to fast food on a twice-weekly basis, the study found. Additionally, women appear to be more susceptible to the dangers.
They had more diabetes warning signs, such as high blood sugar levels and increased insulin than men. The results suggest that many young professionals who are too busy to cook may be setting themselves up for serious health problems.
Diabetes affects an estimated 2.5 million Britons. Around 10 per cent of cases are due to type one, which is thought to be caused by a faulty immune system. The remaining 90 per cent are type two, which is closely linked to unhealthy diet and IifestyIe. The condition occurs when the body loses its ability to make use of glucose, a type of sugar that is released when we eat. As levels rise, circulation suffers and blood vessels can be damaged.
Left untreated, type two diabetes can raise the risk of heart attacks, blindness and amputation. Researchers from the University of Tasmania and two other Australian science institutions studied the diet and lifestyles of 1,896 men and women aged 26 to 36. Almost 40 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women ate a takeaway twice a week or more. The volunteers underwent a range of medical checks, including tests for glucose and insulin levels. High levels of both mean the body is heading for type two diabetes.
Researchers found women who had takeaways twice or more a week had significantly higher blood sugar levels than those who ate them once a week or less. They also had higher insulin and scored much higher on a test for signs of becoming resistant to the hormone – a warning sign of diabetes.
Although men in the study also showed damage, the effects were much less severe. Researchers said it was hard to tell if it was the fast food or excess weight caused by poor diet and lack of exercise that caused the problems.
They also added: ‘It is unclear whether the differences between one takeaway a week and two are clinically significant.
But they may represent an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes. The survey was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In 2008, a study found a single Indian takeaway contained 23.2 grammes of saturated fat — more than a woman’s entire daily allowance.
Worst Offenders
Kebabs can contain a wine glass of cooking oil, warn scientists in a shock fast-food survey.
A shocking survey of takeaways has found a doner kebab containing the equivalent of a wine glass full of cooking oil, and other fast food favourites are not far behind.
Nutritionists said to day that just two of these greasy takeaway meals a week could cause a heart attack within 10 years. Food scientists from Hampshire County Council tested the contents of 4 popular takeaways, including Chinese, Indian, pizzas, kebabs and fish and chips, and made some worrying discoveries.
Scientists testing takeaway food found that one kebab had the equivalent of a wine glass of fat. Denise Thomas, head of nutrition and dietetics at Portsmouth Hospitals Trust, said she was shocked at the results. Many of the dishes contained an entire day’s fat allowance in just one meal.
One of the doner kebabs contained 111g of fat – twice the maximum daily allowance. Mrs Thomas said: “If this kebab weighs 400g, the fat content is a quarter of the meal. That, on its own, gives you 1,000 calories – equivalent to a wine glass of cooking oil.
The majority of that fat is saturated so it’s going to raise your cholesterol and give you thickening of your arteries. If you were eating that meal twice a week on top of your ordinary diet it’s a ticking time bomb of coronary heart disease.” She added: “It depends on the rest of your diet, and the older or more inactive you are the more likely it is you won’t clear it from your system.
If you eat lots of fruit and vegetables the rest of the time, it’s not going to be a problem. But if you’re eating pie and chips and fried break fasts as well, you’re heading towards a heart attack within 10 years. I really, seriously believe that Iocal councils who sanction takeaways should be vetting what’s allowed to happen.
60 per cent of Portsmouth’s population is obese or overweight and meals like this are contributing.” Hampshire Scientific Service sampled 150 takeaway meals. Science consultant Jen Green said: “The worst offender for fat was the doner kebab. The best (lowest) for fat was char siu pork and the best for salt was cod and chips. As long as consumers don’t then add too much extra salt.”
Diabetes & Diabetic Recipes with Bill & Sheila
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