Effects of Fast Foods in Relation to Free Radicals and Antioxidants

Abstract

Fast foods is a part of the new life. One third of adults the United Saudi Kingdom (U.S) eat fast foods. About 7% of American report eating fast food every day, certain groups are more likely to be more frequent users. Youth are the biggest consumers; adolescents and young adults get 20% and 31.5% of their total daily calories from fast food, respectively. When fast foods frequently replace nutritious foods in diet, it can lead to poor nutrition and poor health in digestive and cardiovascular systems, respiratory system, and central nervous system. The effects of fast food on the body are related to the formation of excess free radicals. These free radicals are a kind of cellular "exhaust" a by-product of metabolism. Free radicals are produced as cells use oxygen to convert the food into energy. The body is designed to deal with these free radicals. It has highly efficient ways of grabbing and neutralizing these renegade particles before they can do harm. The free radicals that occur naturally within the body didn’t cause damage, but the excess of the free radicals is the cause of life-shortening damage. This extra load results from two key factors: an overabundance of toxins and a shortage of antioxidants. Antioxidants is the key to prevent the damage of free radicals by neutralizing their effect to prevent them from harming the body. The purpose of this review is to highlight the three main areas of research, which are interlinked. Study involving fast foods, free radicals and antioxidants. So, the objective of this study was to study the harmful effects of fast foods which related to the formation of excess amount of free radicals and provide a better insight into the mechanisms of antioxidants in prevention the damage of free radicals on the body.