It's safe to say that fast food comes with a hefty amount of negative side effects, and while affordable and convenient, it can potentially wreak havoc on your health if consumed on a regular basis.
In the short term, this food is known to possibly cause a spike in blood sugar, increase blood pressure, and contribute to binge eating.
Over the long term, consistent consumption of fast food may lead to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. And now, as of this month, we know that this type of food may also contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
In other words, if fast food takes up at least 20% of your daily diet, it can lead to moderate to severe fat buildup in the liver.
These findings are crucial because, according to the study's primary author Ani Kardashian, this is one of the first studies to specifically link fast food and fatty liver disease.
Read on to learn more about these new research findings and what their implications could mean for you and your liver health.
The researchers gathered their information from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, in which they specifically pulled 4,000 participants' questionnaires who had included their fatty liver measurements.
After studying the 4,000 participants, the authors found that 52% consumed at least some fast food on an occasional basis, and 29% of those consumers got 20% or more of their daily calories from fast food.