Here's something to think about before ordering up another Big Mac or pepperoni pizza -- a new study has linked fast-food consumption to liver disease.
A study out of the University of Southern California found that people who regularly eat fast-food have a moderate-to-severe buildup of fat in their liver.
That fat buildup can lead to liver steatosis, also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease -- a potentially life-threatening condition that puts people at higher risk of diseases like cirrhosis or liver cancer.
According to the study, people with obesity or diabetes who consume 20% or more of their daily calories from fast-food have severely elevated levels of fat in their liver compared to those who consume less or no fast food.
The general population is at risk, too. The findings reveal that a relatively modest amount of fast food, which is high in carbohydrates and fat, can hurt the liver, according to Dr. Ani Kardashian, a hepatologist with Keck Medicine and lead author of the study.
"If people eat one meal a day at a fast-food restaurant, they may think they aren't doing harm," Kardashian said in a statement. "However, if that one meal equals at least one-fifth of their daily calories, they are putting their livers at risk."
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, which can cause liver cancer or failure. Liver steatosis affects over 30% of the U.S. population.
While previous research has shown a link between fast-food and obesity and diabetes, this is one of the first studies to demonstrate the negative impact of fast-food on liver health, Kardashian said.
"Healthy livers contain a small amount of fat, usually less than 5%, and even a moderate increase in fat can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease," Kardashian said. "Our findings are particularly alarming as fast-food consumption has gone up in the last 50 years, regardless of socioeconomic status."
The study characterized fast-food as meals -- including pizza -- from either a drive-thru restaurant or one without wait staff. The researchers then evaluated the fatty liver measurement of approximately 4,000 adults who were included in the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and compared the measurements to their fast-food consumption.
"We've also seen a substantial surge in fast-food dining during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is probably related to the decline in full-service restaurant dining and rising rates of food insecurity," Kardashian added. "We worry that the number of those with fatty livers has gone up even more since the time of the survey."
The study was published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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