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Fast Food Fast Track to Stress
24 April 2007 - By Bill Kaufmann, Sun Media
A single trip to the Golden Arches is a recipe for
stress, states a University of Calgary study.
It's got nothing to do with waiting in line and everything to do with
the high fat content of fast food, said Dr. Tavis Campbell, a
professor of psychology who led the study.
And the discovery all it takes is one McDonald's meal wasn't
surprising, said Campbell."That was our hypothesis," said Campbell, whose work was published
this month in the Journal of Nutrition. |
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"We found there was a significantly larger increase to the stress
response in our test."
It's already well-known a high-fat diet leads to hardened
arteries and high blood pressure, but the research, involving 30
subjects a year ago, reveals new ways such food impacts the
cardiovascular system, said Campbell.
Even though the stress reaction was dramatic after just one helping of
McDonald's, the researcher said it's regular fast-food devotees who
need to take note.
"If it's a one-off thing it's probably not a big deal but for people
who do this three or four times a week, they may want to reconsider,"
he said, adding only McDonald's was used for purposes of consistency
and convenience.
The healthy, adult test subjects each fasted the night before, then
ate either a low- or high-fat breakfast with equal calories.
They were then examined two hours later for mental and physical
stress, while also having their cardiovascular responses tested.
The guinea pigs couldn't physically notice the heightened stress, said
Campbell, but the test findings were consistent.
In a written comment, McDonald's Canada spokesman Ron Christianson
stated: "Based on the information that we do have, this work does
not appear to be representative of our customers or the menu options
and portion sizes we offer, and makes broad conclusions."
He also said the restaurants have long offered "quality-breakfast
options" along with nutritional information. |
