Junk food diet ‘a health time bomb’

By ANGUS HOWARTH
Published on 01/10/2012 00:00

WESTERNERS in their 30s could soon suffer strokes and dementia because of their “cafeteria diet” of junk food, a study has warned.

A diet of high sugar, high salt food is creating “a ticking time bomb of health problems”, according to research presented at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

Dr Dale Corbett, scientific director of Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, said: “I think we’ll soon start to see people in their 30s or 40s having strokes, having dementia, because of this junk food diet. Young people will have major, major problems much earlier in life.”

Researchers offered rats the choice of nutritional pellets or the cafeteria diet – a junk food combination including biscuits, sausages and cupcakes, as well as a sucrose solution to imitate fizzy drinks.

Like humans, they preferred the treats to the nutritional option. But they also showed high levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and obesity after just two months.

Dr Corbett warned: “We’re not sure whether metabolic syndrome can be reversed. If it can’t, and we continue to live like this, then we’re each a ticking time bomb of health problems.”