Fast Food May Be Aging You Faster Than You Think, New Study Warns

The majority of people are well aware that fast food generally isn't that good for you. While restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Popeyes make delicious, fulfilling, and inexpensive food promptly and conveniently, many of the foods they serve are heavily processed and loaded with more calories and preservatives than food made at home. New research claims fast food might have even more harmful health impacts than previously thought. A new study has found that fast food could be aging you faster.

A New Twin Study Looked at Eating Habits

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä and the Gerontology Research Center and published in the journal Clinical Nutrition analyzed the health of twins aged between 20 and 25. Twin pairs were given surveys to fill out about dietary habits, and researchers pinpointed one in particular that was concerning.

Those Who Ate Fast Food Experienced Faster Biological Aging

Those whose diets were lacking in vegetables and fruits but filled with lots of red and processed meat, fast food, and sugar-sweetened soft drinks aged biologically faster. However, those whose diets were rich in vegetables and fruits and low in meat, fast food, and sugary soft drinks experienced slower biological aging.

Those Who Ate More Fruits and Veggies Aged Slower

"Our results suggest that diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in meat, fast food, and soft drinks are already associated with faster biological aging in young adulthood compared with diets high in fruits and vegetables and low in processed red meat and sugar-sweetened beverages," the study authors write.

25 Healthy Fast-Food Orders, According to Dietitians

Sticking to a Healthy Diet "From a Young Age" May Mitigate Health Risks Later

"The findings of this study indicate that adhering to the recommended dietary habits from a young age may mitigate age-related health risks later in life. However, sex differences, variations in the metrics used to measure biological aging, clustering effects of healthy and unhealthy lifestyle habits on biological aging, and genetic confounding need to be considered when interpreting the findings," they note.

Diet Is Definitely Tied to Aging

"Some of the observed associations may also be explained by other lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, smoking, and body weight, as healthy and unhealthy lifestyle habits tend to cluster in the same individuals," added postdoctoral researcher Suvi Ravi. "However, diet maintained a small independent association with aging even when we accounted for other lifestyle factors."