PART A: Consumption of junk food

Junk food is a derisive slang term for food that is of little nutritional value and often high
in fat, sugar, salt, and calories. It is widely believed that the term was coined by Michael
Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972. Junk foods
typically contain high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little protein, vitamins or minerals.
Foods commonly considered junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy,
sweet desserts, fried fast food, and sugary carbonated beverages.

Many foods such as hamburgers, pizza, and tacos can be considered either healthy or junk food
depending on their ingredients and preparation methods with the more highly processed items
usually falling under the junk food category. What is and is not junk food can also depend on the
person's class and social status, with wealthier people tending to have a broader definition while
lower-income consumers may see fewer foods as junk food, especially certain ethnic foods.
Despite being labeled as "junk" consuming such foods usually does not pose any immediate
health concerns and is generally safe when integrated into a well balanced diet.

Effects of junk food (health)

A study by Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny at the Scripps Research Institute in 2008
suggested that junk food consumption alters brain activity in a manner similar to addictive drugs
like cocaine or heroin. After many weeks with unlimited access to junk food, the pleasure
centers of rat brains became desensitized, requiring more food for pleasure. After the junk food
was taken away and replaced with a healthy diet, the rats starved for two weeks instead of
eating nutritious fare. A 2007 British Journal of Nutrition study found that female rats that eat
junk food during pregnancy increased the likelihood of unhealthy eating habits in their offspring.

Fast food nutrition should make up a minimal part of a healthy diet. Junk foods are high in fat,
sodium and sugar, which can lead to obesity and a range of attendant health problems,
including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Here are the facts about how excessive junk food
consumption affects your body.

Junk food affects your energy levels. Junk food does not contain the nutrients your body
needs to stay healthy. As a result, you may feel chronically fatigued and lack the energy you
need to complete daily tasks. The high levels of sugar in junk food puts your metabolism under
stress that is when you eat refined sugar, your pancreas secretes high amounts of insulin to
prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels. Because fast food and junk food do not
contain adequate amounts of protein and good carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels will drop
suddenly after eating, leaving you feeling grumpy, fatigued and craving sugar.

Junk food contributes to poor performance and obesity. Junk food contains large amounts
of fat, and as fat accumulates in your body, you'll gain weight and could become obese. The
more weight you gain, the more you'll be at risk for serious chronic illnesses such as diabetes,
heart disease and arthritis. You could even have a heart attack. The high levels of fat and
sodium in junk food can cause high blood pressure or hypertension. Excessive dietary sodium
can also have a negative effect on renal function, even leading to kidney disease. In the short
term, high levels of dietary fat lead to poor cognitive performance. You'll feel tired and have
trouble concentrating because your body might not be getting enough oxygen.

Junk food can damage your liver and your heart. The high levels of fat and sodium in junk
food and fast food can contribute to heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels and
contributing to arterial plaque build-up. The high levels of trans fatty acids found in many junk
foods and fast foods can lead to fatty liver deposits, which, over time, can cause liver
dysfunction and disease.

Junk food can lead to diabetes. Over time, the high levels of sugar and simple carbohydrates
in junk food can lead to type 2 diabetes. This occurs because eating too much sugar puts your
metabolism under stress; when you eat a lot of refined white sugar and simple carbohydrates,
your body has to pump up insulin production to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar
levels. Because junk food doesn't contain the protein or complex carbohydrates that your body
needs to maintain consistent blood sugar levels, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly soon
after eating. You'll crave sugar and likely end up eating more junk food. Over time, this stress
damages your body's ability to use the insulin secreted by your pancreas. A healthy diet can
help maintain your body's insulin sensitivity. Even in the short term, eating too much junk food
can make you feel really uncomfortable. It can lead to mood swings and constipation, and lower
your energy levels so that you lack interest in the exercise you need to burn off those extra
calories.

Effects of junk food (psychological)

Not only is fast food bad for young physical health, it might just be bad for your mental health
also. Even though the fast food may appear to be a great saver of time and money, it can
determine your physical and mental health. Often viewing images of a McDonald's restaurant or
other fast food restaurants, and visiting food restaurants, can cause you to impatient and less
conscious of how you spend your money.

Mental health is much more than the absence of mental illness. It is about physical and
emotional well being, which includes our wills and emotions. It is about having the capacity and
physical well being contributes to our overall health fitness. To ensure good mental health, we
all need some means of creative self-expression, such as art, drama, music, a sport or hobby.
Our minds have a need to receive, to take in, to appreciate and enjoy, but also our minds need
to express, to give out, to perform, participate, or display.

If we fail to feed our minds what is needed then something else will take its place. Boredom and
material conflict are often symptoms of mental starvation without compensation taking place.
However, it is only a matter of time before trouble comes in and fulfills the law of compensation.
Like the body, the mind needs certain foods to function in a more healthy way.

The psychological effect junk food causes for weight gain can be easily explained. It seems
as though a fast food and junk food craze has swept the world over the last few decades.

While this may be a good thing for those seeking a way to live a more convenient lifestyle it is
unfortunately a very unhealthy and even life threatening way to live. Fast food and junk food
have been shown as being directly correlated to obesity and excessive weight gain. One of the
easiest ways to regain control of your weight is to simply toss the junk food into the trashcan.
What most people do not realize is that fast food and junk type food is often highly addictive. In
fact, most junk food today is cleverly formulated to specifically target certain centers within the
brain in a way that mimics other addictions such as cigarette smoking and drug use.

Junk foods are very popular with teens and many consume junk as they are addicted to it. You
need to think before eating junk, as these foods have a strong connection with your
psychological and mental health. These foods not only make you obese but have adverse effect
on your mental health. They damage your brain and make you suffer from mental illness. Junk
food influences hormones especially neurotransmitters in the brain. This in turn causes mental
disorders. Mental Disorders- Foods contains great amount of trans fats which affects the brains
neurotransmitters. People consuming high amount of fats suffer from mental disorders like
Depression and Alzheimers. This is because patients do not consume enough amount of
vitamins and minerals found in whole foods. Food affects hormones and also blocks blood
supply to the brain, causing damage to the brain. Psychological Issues- Junk Food causes
many physical problems and dysfunctional changes in the brain. Addiction to these foods leads
to many psychological problems. Issues like emotional vulnerability or feeling numb to the world.
These foods initiate biochemical changes and we end up reenacting the imagined childhood
problems in our adulthood. The best way to alleviate psychological problems is to adopt healthy
eating, less sugar and proper exercise. This will improve your condition and you will deal with
life's problems more effectively.

Anxiety- Junk foods cause mental disorders and leads to problems like anxiety, trembling and
fatigue. This is because theses fast foods lack omega 3 fatty acids and they are high in refined
carbohydrates which lead to blood sugar fluctuations. This in turn is the reason for mental
illness and problems like depression and anxiety. Fried food contains trans fats and causes
such problems. So try avoiding deep fried foods. Hyperactivity- Junk food not only causes
mental problems like anxiety and depression but also leads to other disorders. Eating food high
in artificial colours and preservatives like sodium benzoate causes problems of hyperactivity.
Foods with high content of sugar cause hyperactivity. You feel a 'sugar rush' that makes you feel
irritable, hyper and conscious. Food high on sugar can cause such mental illness. Imbalances in
Brain- Junk food contains toxic mixture of unhealthy fats, artificial colouring, refined
carbohydrates and preservatives that leads to mental imbalance. These toxic foods affect
hormones causing mental illness. These foods cause disorders which can get difficult to cure.
So the best way to overcome such problems is inculcating healthy eating habits.

Social effects

- Self (self awareness, mental/physical illness)

- Family (home education about healthy food intake)
- Friends
- At work
- Social interactions/skills (obese)
- Public awareness

References
1 FASEB was founded in 1912 by three societies (us)
2 The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is a nonprofit American medical
research facility that focuses on research and education in the biomedical
sciences. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, with a sister facility in Jupiter,
Florida, \
3 http://www.diabetespharmacist.com/Fast-food-obesity-big(1).jpg
4 http://www.examiner.com/x-40968-Richmond-Healthy-Living-
Examiner~y2010m4d27-Fast-food-retaurants-are-detriment-to-physical-and-
mental-health
5 http://www.a1-natural-health-and-beauty.com/MENTAL-HEALTH.html

British Journal of Nutrition

Abbreviated title
BJN
(ISO 4)
Discipline Nutrition
Peer-reviewed yes
Language English
P.C. Calder, University of
Edited by
Southampton, UK
Publication details
Cambridge Journals on behalf ofThe
Publisher
Nutrition Society (Great Britain)