A research team at Queensland University in Australia analyzed a survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 175,261 students aged 12 to 15 in 64 countries from 2009 to 2016 to study the relationship between unhealthy foods and sleep disorders. The survey included data on the subjects' eating habits and health conditions. According to the analysis, adolescents who ate fast food more than four days a week had a higher risk of sleep disorders than adolescents who ate it once a week, with men at 55 percent and women at 49 percent higher. In addition, adolescents who drank more than three sodas a day had a 55% higher risk of sleep disorders than those who drank only one sodas a day. The research team estimated that fast food is high in calories, but has low nutrients, and carbonated drinks often contain caffeine, causing sleep problems.
Eating too much fast food can also adversely affect eye health. The case of a teenager who lost his name while enjoying fast food alone was published in the American Journal of Science in 2019. The teenager first visited the hospital at the age of 14, citing fatigue, but had hearing and vision problems from the age of 15, and was diagnosed with permanent vision loss at the age of 17. As a result of the doctor's interview, he had bulimia and only ate French fries, chips, Pringles, ham, and sausages for meals. The research team estimated that the concentration of vitamin B12 in the blood was abnormally lowered due to wrong dietary habits, which accumulated toxic by-products in the body, damaging the optic nerve.
Professor Asad Khan of Queensland University in Australia said, "In adolescence, fast food consumption can cause health problems. Families need to pay attention to create an environment around schools to reduce soda and fast food consumption and eat a healthy diet at home."
Writer: Anne Ma
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