In September 2010, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine launched a T.V. ad aiming at McDonald’s high-fat menu. The commercial, set in a morgue ending with the yellow arch and a tagline that reads “I was lovin’ it,” is a bit dramatic, but what the non-profit organization was trying to call attention to is the high rates of heart disease deaths and the high density of fast-food restaurants.
McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast-food chain, serves a long list of high-fat, high-cholesterol items and offers almost no healthful choices, according to an analysis by PCRM dietitians.
The campaign debuted in Washington D.C., where heart disease kills more than 1,500 residents of the district each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the age-adjusted death rate from heart disease in the city is the second highest in the country, above high-obesity states like Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
Studies, including one from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, show that people who consume fast food are at a higher risk of obesity, a key risk factor for heart disease. Regular consumption of high-fat, high-cholesterol foods increases the risk of heart disease, and studies have found that even a single fatty meal can raise blood pressure, stiffen major arteries, and cause the heart to beat harder.
So toss the bun, and pick up something green and leafy instead. Here’s the video for the curious.
