Fast Food – Fast Liver Damage? How Quickly Can Fast Food Damage Your Liver?

What the Swedish Study Showed

It turned out, the result was not long in coming: the research confirmed the that the excessive consumption of junk food has fatal effects on the body. The combination of fast food and lack of physical activity can cause substantial liver damage within only 4 weeks.

Out of 18 healthy volunteers, 11 demonstrated significantly increased enzyme activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) after just one month of the experiment. Researchers from Linköping University stressed that the enzyme indicates liver damage which is usually observed in people who regularly consume alcohol.

For the study, the research team invited 18 healthy students. All participants declared their readiness to consume fast food at least twice per day and reduce their physical activity to less than 5000 steps per day. The other control group of the same size and composition had to further keep their usual eating and lifestyle habits. Both groups did a blood test before the study as well as during the experimental phase. The weight of all participants was also regularly monitored.

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Fast Food Can Cause Liver Damage

In 4 weeks, the participants of the fast-food group had gained an average of 14 lbs, while one participant alone showed an increase of 26.5 lbs. The examination of blood samples revealed that the quantity of ALT in blood had already increased in one week and at the end of the month it was more than 4 times higher than it had been prior to the experiment. In 11 participants, the values rose to a level indicating liver damage symptoms.

The researchers explained that the weight gain and the increased intake of sugar and carbohydrates are the main causes of the extreme changes in health.

Researchers also found that one of the participants even developed fatty liver disease symptoms, and the others demonstrated an increased percentage of fat in their liver cells. This type of condition is associated with an increased insulin resistance of cells, which can later lead to diabetes or heart disease.

Interestingly enough, the comparison group showed no changes in their health.

Sources:

Kechagias S, Ernersson A, Dahlqvist O, Lundberg P, Lindström T, Nystrom FH; Fast Food Study Group. Fast-food-based hyper-alimentation can induce rapid and profound elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase in healthy subjects. Gut. 2008 May;57(5):649-54. doi: 10.1136/gut.2007.131797. Epub 2008 Feb 14. PMID: 18276725; PMCID: PMC2565580