U.S. export is increasing heart disease risk in Southeast Asians
American-style fast food contributes to rise in heart and diabetes rates
Southeast Asians regularly eating hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and pizza are increasing their risk of dying from coronary heart disease and developing type 2 diabetes, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
Chinese adults living in Singapore who reported eating American-style fast food twice a week were 56 percent more likely to die of heart disease and 27 percent more likely to develop diabetes compared to those eating none, researchers found. Furthermore, Chinese-Singaporeans eating fast food four times or more each week had nearly an 80 percent increased risk of dying from coronary heart disease, researchers said.