Fast food: Wrinkles, disease, dementia

Q: I don’t get what’s so bad about fast food — you can get a grilled chicken sandwich and nice hash brown potatoes. It’s what’s affordable and tastes good. — Steve L., Urbana, Illinois

A: Convenience and price do matter when you are eating out, and fortunately many fast-food places have expanded their menus to include salads.

But much fast food won’t love you back: It is fried, full of saturated fats, and excess salt, and is highly inflammatory. That means it disrupts your intestinal microbiome — leading to health problems that include arthritis, diabetes and obesity — and causes cardiovascular disease and skin aging (yes, wrinkles).

Plus, the processed carbs in buns, fries, and breading can spike your blood sugar, aggravating diabetes or increasing your risk of developing it. And the sugars added to sodas, shakes, and even a Double Quarter Pounder (it has 10 grams of sugar) increase your risk for sexual dysfunction and liver disease, and they promote dementia. One study even found that fast food is associated with depression in teens because it is high in sodium and low in potassium. Another found a link between eating fast food and an increase in skin and respiratory problems such as asthma, congestion, and eczema.

Q: My doctor has me worried about heart disease — just because my LDL cholesterol is up a bit and my blood pressure — sometimes — registers too high. It seems like he’s trying to get me to have a lot of expensive tests and use more medications. — Patricia M., University Heights, Ohio

A: Elevated LDL can increase deposits of artery-clogging plaque and up your risk of stroke, heart attack, dementia, peripheral artery disease, high blood pressure and kidney failure.

In order to have a solid picture of your cardiovascular health, blood tests for lousy LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose are important. And there are three other tests that are often smart to get.

1. About 20 percent of folks are at risk for high lipo-protein(a) levels.

2. A coronary CT calcium scan can show if you have high levels of plaque in your coronary arteries.

3. Screening with ultrasound for an aortic or cerebral aneurysm is smart for men age 65-plus or older than 55 with a family history of aortic aneurysms and for women age 65-plus who have smoked, have a family history of aneurysms or have high blood pressure.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare.com.