As people's living standards improve, the variety of greasy foods on the dining table has also increased. However, oils and fats contain large amounts of cholesterol and fatty acids, and are very high in calories. Excessive intake of fats can seriously affect human health.
Leading to Obesity
Among all foods, oils and fats have the highest calorie density, with 1 gram producing 9 kilocalories. If a person consumes one extra teaspoon (15 grams) of oil per day, their weight will increase by 700-800 grams after a month, and by nearly 10 kilograms in a year. "A hundred diseases follow from obesity": so-called "rich man's diseases" such as hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and cerebral infarction will follow.
Increasing the Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
Eating too much fat can lead to excessive levels of cholesterol and fatty acids in the blood. These excess substances can attach and deposit on the walls of blood vessels, causing atherosclerosis, and eventually forming blood clots. Once a clot blocks a blood vessel in the heart, the result is a heart attack; once it blocks a cerebral blood vessel, the result is a stroke.
Triggering Cancer
Some cancers, such as colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, are directly or indirectly linked to a high-fat diet. Therefore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has even suggested that food manufacturers state on food labels that a diet low in total fat can reduce the risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
Excessive oil entering the stomach stimulates a corresponding increase in bile secretion. When high-fat, low-fiber food enters the colon, some harmful bacteria in the colon can break down the bile into certain carcinogens, thereby increasing the chance of developing colon cancer.
Women with high estrogen levels have a higher risk of breast cancer. Eating too much fat easily leads to obesity, and obese women generally have higher estrogen levels than lean women.
Although there is no direct evidence that a high-fat diet causes prostate cancer, epidemiological studies have shown that Japanese immigrants to the U.S. have a much higher incidence of prostate cancer than those in Japan. It is believed that this is related to their abandonment of Japan's traditional light diet in favor of the American high-fat diet.
Causing Irritability
People who eat greasy food are more prone to irritability, anger, and anxiety. Researchers explain that greasy food can affect the production of certain chemicals in the brain, leading to emotional instability. In contrast, carbohydrates in staple foods can help maintain the production of "happy hormones" in the brain, keeping people emotionally stable and optimistic.