Have you been living on fast food for a while? Next time you reach out for a hamburger, hold back before you bite into one. Hamburgers, the king of fast-food, also may top the list when it comes to health risks?
A new study, according to agencies, suggests that apart from adding calories, fast food or dense food such as hamburgers and pizza may also increase risks of cancer. The study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics attempts to find out the link between the ratio of energy to food weight, known as dietary energy density (DED) and cancer risk.
Now, what is DED or dietary energy density?
DED is related to weight regulation
It is a measure of food quality and the calories-nutrients ratio. It is the amount of energy per gram of food.
Foods that contain fewer calories but provide a lot of nutrients such as vegetables and fruits are considered low in energy density. A relatively low-calorie food can provide more nutrients and energy.
Foods that contain higher calories and fewer nutrients are higher in DED. Hamburgers and pizza are considered high in energy density.
The study suggests that the higher dietary energy density foods in normal-weight women may cause metabolic dysregulation that is independent of body weight, which is a variable known to increase cancer risk.
Hence, the next time you head out for food or call for food, remember to avoid hamburgers, pizza and other fast-food items and prevent falling prey to the harmful effects of living on it.