BMI tied to fast-food sales

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New research has linked the rate of fast-food consumption in the world’s wealthiest countries to body-mass index (BMI)—a widely used indicator for obesity—for the entire population.

Defining “fast food” as anything purchased from chains like McDonald’s or Taco Bell and certain independent restaurants and convenience stores, researchers at UC Davis used a global-market database to collect fast-food transaction records between 1999 and 2008, according to SFGate.com. Over the study period, the average number of per capita fast-food transactions increased from 26.6 to 32.8 annually, while average BMI increased from 25.8 to 26.4.

The study was the first to compare BMI and fast-food transactions rather than relying on self-reported consumption levels, which depend on memory and reporting honestly.