A Fast Food Breakfast Triggers Inflammatory Response

A new study published in the April 2004 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that consuming a typical fast-food breakfast dramatically increases inflammatory markers in the blood stream up to four hours after eating. The researchers conclude that the influx of high levels of fat, carbohydrates, and protein caused by eating a typical fast-food breakfast, temporarily flood the blood stream with inflammatory components that can overwhelm the body's natural inflammation-fighting mechanisms. This reaction alters the behavior of cells and activates mechanisms that produce powerful enzymes capable of damaging the lining of blood vessels.

Repeated temporary periods of inflammation, as a result of eating a high- calorie, unhealthy fast-food breakfast, may contribute to chronic inflammation of blood vessels, a primary factor in the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease.