What contributes to success of junk food despite ill effects on health?

In 1996, McDonald’s became the first fast food chain to open shop in India. From just one to over 300 outlets now, the American fast-food giant has witnessed a monumental rise in the country. Same is the case with other similar restaurant chains like KFC, Domino’s and Pizza Hut, which opened stores thereafter. Their consistent popularity and appeal can be made out from the fact that India’s quick-service restaurant (QSR) market, which comprises fast food restaurants, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.47% during the five-year forecast period from FY 2022 to 2027, as per a report. In fact, the Covid pandemic, which dealt a blow to businesses across sectors, became an enabler in this case by boosting preference for QSR, the report adds.

“Anything sold at a restaurant or in a packaged form, which requires little preparation time and is readily available, is clubbed as fast food. So, it can be anything —a sandwich, pizza, burger, fries, chips, etc,” explains Sreemathy Venkatraman, a wellness nutritionist, clinical dietician and founder of Mitha Ahara: Eat to Live. “Among the fast foods, junk foods are the worst. These are high in salt, sugar fats and calories with little to no proteins, fibre, vitamins and minerals,” she says.

Fast foods don’t have much to offer when it comes to their nutritional composition. Their negative impacts on human health are also widely known.

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Despite these, what explains their sustained success? Is it affordability, flavours, or ease and accessibility? Or is the plain playing with human psychology to create a finger-lickin’ good experience that you cannot get enough of?

Craving to addiction

Whether it is a McDonald’s burger, a Domino’s pizza, or a Taco Bell taco, one thing is common: you feel elated eating them. It is because these light up the brain’s reward system. Although evolution has wired our brains to generate this response whenever we do something crucial for survival, such as eating, the response is stronger in case of junk food, studies have shown. “These cause your brain to release dopamine, the feel-good chemical,” says Daljit Kaur, head-dietetics, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute. “Our brain naturally prefers high-calorie foods,” adds lifestyle nutritionist Smitha Shetty.

In a study conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Germany, researchers found that our brains crave fat-rich and sugar-loaded foods, the trademarks of junk foods. The brain’s reward system lights up. For this reason, one needs to go back in time when our ancestors would seldom get such foods, the researchers explain. They mostly survived on a high-carb diet that was supplemented by proteins and fats. So, when they get such a combination of high-sugar, high-fat foods, they can hardly ignore it.

Studies on rodents have shown that they gained weight when given a combination of fats and carbohydrates. As these trigger the release of dopamine, dopamine receptors in the brain are regulated. And the next time, you will need more junk food to get the same ‘kick’, as per Dr Amy Reichelt, an expert in the science of brain and behaviour at Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Our taste buds, too, have a role to play. “Fast foods entice the taste buds and give quick response to the brain; so, they are not only addictive but make you crave for the same food again and again,” says Dr NK Venkataramana, founder, chairman and director—neurosciences, Brains Super Speciality Hospital, Bengaluru.

The vicious cycle does not end here. “These foods are made with refined carbs, such as refined flours, which are heavily processed and have their fibre either removed or altered,” says Venkatraman. “These are also loaded with simple carbs in the form of sugars and sweeteners.

Hence, these refined and ultra-processed foods make your blood glucose level spike, and you get a sugar rush. It is briefly followed by a sugar crash, which leaves you tired, dull, and craving similar foods, and thus the reward. It is a vicious cycle,” she explains.

The role of advertising cannot be ruled out. A report published this year, which centred on McDonald’s, concluded that the marketing ads it uses to target young consumers may shape their food consumption patterns. Studies have also found a link between advertising for non-nutritious foods to childhood obesity, which is a grave concern given that India is already home to 18 million overweight and obese children, and the number may rise further.

Health going for a toss

Salt, sugar and fats make up the primary components of fast foods, all of which are detrimental to physical health.

Weight gain: “Nutritional composition of fast food is high in fat, saturated fat, energy density, fructose and glycemic index, and poor in fibre, vitamins and minerals. These are poor in macronutrient composition, portion sizes are large, and their frequent consumption contributes to excessive calorie intake,” explains Ritika Samaddar, head of dietetics and nutrition at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, Delhi. More than the requisite calorie intake causes weight gain.

Insulin resistance: “Weight gain can lead to insulin resistance, meaning the liver, and muscles are unable to uptake the sugar in the blood. This becomes a vicious circle of insulin hypersecretion and insulin resistance,” Samaddar explains.

High blood pressure: “Fast foods are high in salts, which can cause the blood pressure to shoot up,” says Venkatraman. Multiple studies have found the same. Thus, fast foods, in general, make one prone to non-communicable diseases, which include diabetes, hypertension, obesity and heart diseases.

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Gut health: “An increased intake of processed foods, which are high in sugar and low in fibre leads to gut disorders,” the experts say.

Inflammation: A 2018 study found that the body’s immune system reacts in a similar way to the excess salt and calories containing fast foods as it does to bacterial infections. These foods have also been linked to gut inflammation. Not just that, a 2015 study concluded that even a single fast-food meal, which is high in saturated fat, increases airway inflammation in asthma patients.

Dental issues: “All those sugary drinks also harm your dental health. Not just that, these ultra-processed foods do not require much chewing. Hence, these impact oral health and strength of the teeth,” according to experts.

Cancer: “Across ages, genders and socio-economic situations, excessive consumption of fast food is among the reasons for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. Carcinoma can be because of high fat and fried foods. The use of reused oil is another major problem,” says Venkatraman.

Here, it is to be noted that there are Indian fast foods too—from Mumbai’s famous vada pav and pav bhaji to the evergreen samosa and pakoras. According to Shetty, many Indian fast foods are not as unhealthy as several of its international counterparts like burgers, pizzas and even Indo-Chinese foods sold on streets. “The latter are made of cheap ingredients and fillers making them extremely bad for health,” she says.

However, there is a catch. “Studies have shown that fast foods are majorly rich in fats and carbohydrates. As a large part of the Indian population is vegetarian, their overall diet including fast food lacks protein. Hence, the fast-food intake should be restricted to keeping one healthy and more research should be done into it,” says Kaur.

Fast food & mental health

It appears that not just physical health, but these fatty, salty and sugary fast foods can make you sick mentally too. “Junk foods contain more sodium, sodium nitrites, soda and MSG. These lead to depression, headache and sometimes altered sensorium,” says Kaur. “All such foods are high in glycemic index and saturated fatty acids. You feel you have eaten quickly, but you end up feeling heavy and your brain gets dull and unmotivated,” explains Dr Venkataramana.

A 2022 research in the United States, which included over 10,000 people, found that the more ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which includes fast food, people ate, the higher their chances of reporting mild depression and anxiousness.

Another research involving about 11,000 Brazilian adults found a link between the consumption of UPFs and cognitive decline. Although cognitive functions decline over age, it was found to be more pronounced in people with higher consumption of such foods.

A 2021 study involving participants aged 30 years or above found a link between healthy food and positive mood. The opposite happened in the case of fast food.

A 2020 paper suggests a link between unbalanced diets high in saturated fat and simple carbohydrates, typical of fast food, and a lower capacity for memory and learning. This sort of diet may also raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Also, the negative association was more profound among women.

Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that having junk food for just five days can have an impact on memory. Another study on rodents found that their hypothalamus region, which produces hormones that control hunger, thirst, mood and sleep, is damaged due to the consumption of fatty foods. However, whether this applies to humans is contested.

“Children can become hyperactive and inattentive, which can make them restless and unable to focus,” says nutritionist Venkatraman. A study involving 120 children and adolescents established a link between the consumption of fast food, sugar and soft drinks to a higher prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. “Fast food can even impact your memory,” the nutritionist warns. Recent research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego explained how eating foods such as sugary drinks, instant noodles, and frozen meals can play a role in a faster decline of cognitive functions.

Taste matters

Despite the negative impact on health, fast food is thriving in India. Since opening its first shop in India in the late 1990s, fast food giant McDonald’s revenue has continued to soar in the country, apart from the pandemic years. In a span of less than 10 years, from 2013 to 2022, its revenue increased from Rs 6.8 billion to Rs 15.77 billion. The QSR chain has over 400 outlets across India.

Similarly, Domino’s, which controls over 70% of India’s market share, saw its revenue climb to Rs 13.01 billion in the second quarter of FY22. It currently operates 1,700 outlets across several cities and has an aim to have 3,000 stores in the medium term, as per media reports. It also opened India’s first Popeyes restaurant, an American burger chain, last year.

Another pizza chain Pizza Hut operates about 500 outlets in the country. It comes under Yum! Brands Inc, which also has KFC and Taco Bell under its fold. While KFC has over 600 outlets across the country, Burman Hospitality, the master franchise partner of Taco Bell in India, has spoken of its plan to invest $100 million with an aim to have as many as 600 restaurants in the next few years, as per a media report. Similarly, Burger King has grown from mere 12 restaurants in 2015 to over 250 now.

Lending a desi twist

It appears that the strategy of fast-food chains of ‘desifying’ their menu to appeal more to the Indian taste buds has paid off. It is evident from the fact that they continue reinventing their menu including more desi flavours, from using cottage cheese to going big on spices.

Mc Donald’s, synonymous with burgers in India, has a McAloo tikki and Maharaja burger right up its food menu. Similarly, KFC offers biryani buckets. With its hara bhara kebab, chatpata chana, chicken kofta, tandoori chicken tikka, etc, Subway makes sure that Indians are offered familiar ingredients and flavours in their sandwich. Domino’s, too, included a paratha pizza in its menu this year. It has paneer makhani, achari do pyaza and indi chicken tikka pizzas on the menu.

How much is too much?

Although junk fast foods are bad in every way, nutritionist Venkatraman recommends “regulating the intake rather than cutting back on them altogether”. “We all crave such foods, however, try replacing them with a healthier option. For example, if you crave a sugary drink, try a fresh fruit smoothie. Add some vanilla essence or a few pieces of dark chocolates to make it tastier. You can regulate the consumption of such foods by eating maybe once in 15 days or three weeks,” she says. “Remember, moderation is the key,” she adds.