Junk food, as the name suggests, is unhealthy and non-nutritional food. Unlike nutritious food, junk food contains high amounts of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, and calories.

While eating junk food once in a while won’t do much harm, making it a habit can lead to severe health problems. This article examines what happens to your metabolism when you eat junk food.

Junk food slows down your metabolism

Eating too much junk can slow down your metabolism. The body’s normal metabolic rate depends on several things such as age, gender, weight and diet.

When you consume junk, it doesn’t provide the necessary energy, protein, vitamins and minerals required by your body. Instead, it is loaded with unhealthy trans fats, salt and sugar that make it tougher for your body to break it down. Consequently, your digestion process slows down, and your metabolism rate drops.

This means that the body processes food and burns calories much slower than it should, which can lead to weight gain.

Junk food increases your insulin resistance

Junk food has high sugar levels, and this can cause a spike in the body’s insulin levels. The more you consume junk, the higher your body’s insulin resistance becomes.

Insulin resistance makes it harder for your body to utilize insulin effectively, leading to metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Over time, the amount of insulin produced in the body decreases, and your blood sugar levels rise, leading to insulin resistance.

Leads to overeating and addiction

Junk food is formulated to trigger the pleasure center of our brains. It contains high amounts of sugar and salt, which are known to cause a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us happy.

However, overconsumption of junk food causes us to build up a tolerance to these substances in the same way a drug addict builds tolerance to drugs. This makes us crave more junk food to experience the dopamine hit, leading to addiction. Furthermore, the brain’s response to junk food is similar to that of hard drugs such as cocaine.

When you consume large amounts of junk food, it leads to overeating and obesity, making it harder to quit.

Junk food causes inflammation

Studies have shown that excessive consumption of trans and saturated fats that are found in junk food can lead to inflammation. Inflammation results when your immune system releases chemicals to help combat harmful substances in your body.

While it is a good thing for the body to have a good immune response, chronic inflammation can lead to health problems such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. The chemicals released due to the chronic inflammation not only attack external invaders but also healthy tissues causing further health complications.

Junk food alters the gut microbiome

The human digestive system is inhabited by a diverse range of gut microbiomes, which aid digestion and the overall functioning of the body. However, eating too much junk food can alter the balance between the good and bad gut bacteria.

Junk food is loaded with unhealthy fats and sugar that lead to an increase in harmful gut microbiota, resulting in digestive problems. Gut microbiomes are known to play an essential role in regulating blood sugar, weight, and the immune system. The presence of unhealthy microbiomes can, therefore, cause a wide range of health problems in the long run.

Junk food affects the liver

The liver plays a vital role in the body’s metabolism as it converts food into energy. However, the liver can only handle a specific amount of toxins.

Junk food contains trans and saturated fats which lead to the buildup of unhealthy fats around the liver causing fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease can cause inflammation and scarring of the liver leading to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis which can later cause liver failure.

Junk food is not satiating

Junk food is high in calories but low in nutrients. It contains high levels of unhealthy fats and sugars that do not leave you feeling full or satiated like healthy nutrient-dense foods.

As a result, you can consume large amounts of junk food without feeling full, leading to overconsumption of calories, and ultimately weight gain.

Junk food causes hormonal imbalance

Junk food contains chemicals and hormones, which escalates the levels of estrogen and testosterone in the body leading to hormonal imbalance in the body.

Estrogen overload can lead to weight gain and bloating, while excess testosterone in women can lead to acne and an increase in hair growth.

Junk food leads to disturbed sleep patterns

Eating high amounts of junk food affects circadian rhythms, which regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle leading to poor quality sleep or disturbed sleep patterns.

The sugar and caffeine content in junk food is known to interfere with the production of hormones carbamide and melatonin. These hormones are responsible for regulating sleep, and their disruption leads to poor sleep quality, restlessness, anxiety, and fatigue.

Junk food leads to poor mental health

Junk food is closely linked to depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. High levels of trans and saturated fats found in junk food can block the blood vessels that feed the brain leading to depression.

Additionally, junk food is linked to changes in brain function, leading to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other mental illnesses.