Fast food is bad for your health – local data

We always preach it but now there’s local data to back it up. From HOTM

Dr Andrew Odegaard from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, published their findings on the Singapore Chinese Health Study, in the July 2nd issue of Circulation. They came to Singapore and interviewed Singaporeans ablout their food habits ( and I guess other lifestyles as well since it is called the Singapore Chinese Health Study ), from 1993 – 1998, with the latest follow-up study in 2009. They did a food questionaire on their frequency to fast food restaurants. The fast food chains involved included McDonalds, KFC, Burger King and Whoppers. They enrolled about 50,000 people. About 43,176 were included in the Diabetes cohort, and about 52,584 in the heart disease cohort. The diabetes cohort had their last follow-up interview in 2004. The study found 2252 cases of new diabetes in this population, giving a 27% increase in the incidence of T2DM from fast food in those who consume fast food more then 2x a week compared to those who do not. In the heart disease cohort of 52,584, they found 1397 deaths from heart disease ( now deaths in Singapore are properly documented as it is a small island state). Their last follow-up interview was 2009. Death is a very definite hard end-point that no one can dispute.That gives a 56% increase incidence of cardiovascular deaths in those who consume fast food 2x or more a week.

The bottom line: Consume fast food 2x or more a week and you run a 50% increase risk of dying from heart disease

I wish there could be more data on local fast food – nasi lemak, mee goreng, roti canai, fried kway teow. I suspect these are just as lethal!