Study finds connection between fast food, obesity

Food & Drink Weekly, Jan 10, 2005

Study finds connection between fast food, obesity: The Associated Press reports that a study published last week in the British medical journal Lancet found that individuals who frequently ate fast food gained 10 pounds more than those who did so less often, and were more than twice as likely to develop an insulin disorder linked to diabetes. In the study, researchers followed 3,000 young people over 15 years, giving them medical checkups and asking questions about diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors.

According to AP, even after the scientists used statistical techniques to cancel out the effects of the other factors, those who said they visited fast-food outlets twice a week or more gained 10 pounds more over the course of the study than those who ate fast food less than once a week.