Fast-food chains are linked with fatal and non fatal heart attacks, but we cannot substantiate the figure '100,000 fatal heart attacks.'
According to a research presented at the 67th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) in 2019, "Areas with a higher number of fast-food restaurants have more heart attacks, and for every additional fast food outlet, there were four additional heart attacks per 100,000 people each year." For the study, researchers examined data of nearly 3,100 patients hospitalized with a heart attack in a region of Australia between 2011 and 2013.
A Dutch study also found that adults living within a half-mile of fast food outlets were more likely to develop heart disease than those living further away. The results showed that 2.5 percent of the people who participated in the study were diagnosed with heart disease, stroke, or heart failure during the one year study.
In another study conducted by the American Heart Association, it was found that higher densities of fast‐food restaurants (FFRs) and full‐service restaurants are associated with mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke. The impact analysis suggested that nationally it would be an extra 748 CVD deaths and 567 stroke deaths over the next ten years. Hence it concluded that the impact on an individual is small.
While multiple studies show a causal relationship between fast-food intake and cardiovascular problems, only a small number of people actually suffer from heart attacks. The figure of '100,000 fatal heart attacks' given in the claim could not be substantiated.
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