We all know that fast food is bad for us. But I came across a news story that is unbelievable, and puts a new meaning to the old saying that fast food is bad for us. Bad or almost fatal in a North Carolina man’s case. The man who was plagued with coughing fits had a 1-inch piece of plastic removed from his lung. The plastic was a piece of a utensil that he had inhaled nearly two years earlier while gulping down a soda at Wendy’s.

How can you Inhale a Utensil?

Doctors at Duke University Medical Center say the plastic fragment of an eating utensil — with the Wendy’s logo still legible on the side — was likely to blame for the coughing, fatigue and pneumonia spells that plagued John Manley for almost two years. They removed the fast-food foreign object from Manley’s left lung. And the 50-year-old man said he probably inhaled it while gulping a drink from Wendy’s.

The Surprise to Doctors

His doctor said he still remembers his staff’s amazement in the operating room when they pulled it out. “We’re looking at it and realizing that there are letters on it … We started reading out loud, ‘A-M-B-U-R-G-E-R,’ and realized it spelled, ‘hamburgers.’ “Everybody was shocked. We had no clue why something that said, ‘hamburgers’ would be in someone’s lung,” he said. They had read a side of the plastic that spelled Wendy’s motto of “Old Fashioned Hamburgers.”

Why are American’s Addicted to Fast Food?

I know it’s not funny to have something lodged in your lung, but when I read this article I laughed. Are American’s so addicted to fast food that we have resorted to eating the plastic ware at our local Wendy’s? I was baffled that a person could consume a utensil and not know it. I feel bad for him and his wife who probably thought he had cancer or some other terrible condition. Also going through bouts of pneumonia can’t be fun either. This story has further reinforced my theory that fast food is hazardous to our health as a nation.

Obesity in America

America is home to the most obese people in the world. According to the CDC, obesity in adults has increased by 60% within the past twenty years and obesity in children has tripled in the past thirty years. 33% of American adults are obese and obesity-related deaths have climbed to more than 300,000 a year, second only to tobacco-related deaths.  If you are looking for a safe medication that can help you loose weight, you should try Xenical online.  Xenical is a safe, FDA-approved medication to help men and women loose weight.

Fast Food Nation

Fast food has become a large percentage of American’s diet, so it is no wonder that a link has been established between fast food and obesity in America. Some studies have shown that eating fast food for three or more meals each week results in a higher incidence of obesity and larger BMI’s. This is an alarming statistic for a nation with such a high incidence of obesity and a fast food chain on nearly every corner. Studies have shown that families that eat fast food more often are also less likely to keep healthy food like fresh fruits and vegetables in their house.

About The Author –
Lisa Macfarlane is a professional health writer and editor who specializes in sexual health and health issues.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at 1:37 pm and is filed under diet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.