February 16, 2013
(CBS News) There are 160,000
fast food restaurants in the United States, serving over 50 million customers
daily and the bulk of the food offerings are loaded with calories from fat and
added sugar.
"We're all guilty, and every now and then you have to splurge,
but the problem is that so many people are getting into eating fast food,
especially kids, as their staple, and I think that's the point," said Dr. Drew
Ordon of "The Doctors" and author of the book, "Better in 7."
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"The Doctors" revealed study
found regular consumption of fast food items like fried chicken and onion rings
are particularly bad for your liver, and these fried foods have many surprising
complications and dangers for the people that consume them.
"The amount of
fat and saturated fats creates a condition called fatty liver," said
Ordon.
What's interesting about the new information is that even after just a
month of consistently eating fatty foods from fast food restaurants, there are
significant changes in your liver. The fried foods do not just impact your
cholesterol and waist line.Ordon describes the changes in the liver enzymes as
being surprisingly similar to the damage that is seen by hepatitis, which can
ultimately lead to liver failure.
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They found that french fries, in particular, are one of the most
dangerous foods, because of all the added ingredients to the potato.
"We know
that they are adding salt, and cooking it in fat, but they're also putting sugar
on them too. Why sugar? Because it helps get them golden crispy," advised Ordon.
"It's three strikes."
He also warns that consumers should be wary of items at
fast food establishments marked healthy or freshbecause there aren't clear regulations for these items, and the food can often
have added chemicals, especially salads.
"Some places actually put propylene
glycol on the salads, which is anti-freeze, the reason behind that is that it
prevents wilting," said Ordon. "And although they say a little anti-freeze isn't
going to hurt you, obviously given a choice you don't want to be eating
anti-freeze