Fast Food Effects on Teens

Eating a lot of fast food meals causes teens and young adults to gain more weight. A reason for the extra weight gain is because one fast food meal often has almost enough calories needed for a whole day. A teenager needs around 2,000 calories a day, give or take depending on the gender, age, size and the amount of physical activity they do in an average day. Eating too much fast food also increases the risk for developing insulin resistance, which can result in type 2 diabetes. Having diabetes is a major risk factor for developing heart disease.

Some studies show that people who ate at fast food restaurants more than twice a week gained an extra ten pounds and had a greater risk for insulin resistance. According to studies, males visit fast food restaurants more often than females do.