In part 1, we delved into the hugely important topic of fast food, and sought to understand how it is defined, its place in society, and how it can affect a child’s energy intake and overall health and nutrition.

Here in part 2, we will be looking at the accessibility of nutritive information on fast food, and the association of weight and other cardiovascular risk factors with fast food consumption.

How accessible is nutrient information on food consumed away from home such as fast food?

One of the main issues with fast food is that those consuming it aren’t always aware of what they are actually putting into their bodies. Making the right food choices for ourselves and our children is incredibly important, which is why food labelling has previously been suggested as a way to make consumers more aware of what their families are eating away from home.

In countries like the United States of America, steps have been taken in this direction, under a ruling called the Food Labelling, by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Restaurants covered by this ruling will need to provide energy information for standard menu items on menu and menu boards along with a clear statement citing the suggested daily energy intake. Other important pieces of information such as cholesterol, sodium, and sugars, must also be available if the consumer requests it.

This is a positive step, which could theoretically have a very positive impact on children and their parents if replicated around the world. For example, experts believe that it could in fact reduce the total amount of food energy purchased for or by children and adolescents.

It will be interesting to see how this develops!

What is the association of weight and other cardiovascular risk factors with fast food consumption?

Perhaps one of the most important findings about fast food consumption in relation to children is its association with the obesity epidemic and other cardiovascular risk factors such as metabolic syndrome.

Although there has been a lack of consistent findings, with only 1 in 5 studies in children pointing to an association between BMI and the fast food environment, it has been widely suggested that fast food consumption is a causative agent.

To add to this, a recent review has also shown that the consumption of ultra-processed foods (including fast foods), was strongly associated with body fat in teenagers.

That being said, there were some problems with this study. For example, as the study included the non-defined term “junk” it included generic convenience foods such as soft drinks, sweetened beverages, chocolate, and ready-to-eat cereals, pointing to a potential problem with the efficacy of the review overall. Adding onto that, some ultra-processed foods listed in the review (such as ready-to-eat cereals) have actually been associated with providing valuable nutrients, higher levels of milk and fruit consumption and lower weight levels in children.

Overall, it has been suggested that although fast food consumption can be associated with issues such as cardiovascular risk factors, not all children who consume fast foods have these problems. It’s important to remember that fast-food studies cannot be used to show a cause-and-effect relationship, and that larger randomised control trials change across various ethnic groups and geographic locations are needed for accurate results.

What effect does fast food have on my child? (Part 2)

Fast food is not your friend in keeping children healthy and well-nourished.