McDonalds to double presence in China; chronic disease follows the Western diet around the globe

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McDonalds has announced it intends to double its outlets in China (to 1,000 restaurants) by the time the 2008 Beijing Olympics arrives. The fast food company also plans to sponsor the 2006 Winter Games, the 2010 Winter Games and the 2012 Summer Games.

Question: why on Earth is a restaurant chain that sells arguably unhealthy foods sponsoring events that should be all about health and physical fitness? Similarly, I've always thought it strange that soft drink companies sponsored sporting events. Sports and soft drinks are near opposites: one promotes activity and health, the other promotes diabetes and disease. Seeing McDonalds sponsor the Olympics is somewhat bizarre.

I believe McDonalds is at least partially responsible for America's obesity epidemic as well as accelerating rates of other chronic diseases. The products sold by McDonalds are high in saturated fat, high in processed carbohydrates, high in sodium, high in refined sugars (high fructose corn syrup in the soft drinks), and high in trans fatty acids (french fries). These food characteristics are unquestionably linked to diabetes, heart disease, obesity and even cancer. While McDonalds obviously isn't forcing anyone to eat their foods, they are in fact heavily promoting these foods and drinks without bothering to warn consumers of the subsequent health risks.

Now, McDonalds wants to expand in China, and there's little doubt that as the Western diet continues to invade Chinese culture, China will see rising rates of the very same diseases now considered epidemic in the United States. The rapid expansion of McDonalds restaurants and soft drink companies into the global marketplace is one reason why I describe the United States as the world's largest exporter of disease. Every country or region that starts consuming American foods experiences chronic disease within a generation.

These opinions are not popular with the McDonalds corporation, no doubt, but they are based in nutritional science.
About the author: Mike Adams is a holistic nutritionist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a maker of energy efficient LED lights that greatly reduce CO2 emissions. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, Pilates and organic gardening. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds.

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