The effects of fast food on the body: why active police officers must stay in shape. Many Americans have eaten fast food at least once in their lives. , whether it's McDonalds or Taco Bell, Chipotle or Subway. Fast food can often be the only readily available source of alternative food in the busy daily life of the average American citizen. According to the Pew Research Center, 50 million Americans are served daily by fast-food restaurants such as McDonalds or Taco Bell (Pew Research Center, 2014). That means 1 in 19 Americans eat fast food every day. Consuming too much fast food or eating it too often can lead to many mental and health problems such as depression, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, etc. Police officers, often on the go and unable to find time to sit down to enjoy a home-cooked meal, are affected by fast food consumption in a variety of ways, as they must stay mentally and physically fit to perform well in their field . Many police officers begin to deteriorate after joining the force due to lack of compliance with physical fitness. Overconsumption of fast food can lead to unhealthy officers within police forces and the general population. In America, fast food restaurants can be located on almost every street corner in almost every city. The tantalizing aroma of a burger and fries can be found at several locations in almost every city, town or suburb. According to Alaina McConnel, the top 5 most popular fast food restaurants in 2011 are McDonalds, Subway, Starbucks, Wendy's and Burger King (Mcconnell, A. and Bhasin, K., 2012). Fast food has an unforgiving history of being greasy, greasy and unhealthy with movies like Super-Size me and Food Inc. giving the...... middle of paper ......ne 6). Police Chief Magazine - View article. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&article_id=1516&issue_id=62008Harvard Mental Health Letter (February 2012). Why Stress Causes People to Overeat - Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2012/February/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeatTimmons, B. (2014). Physical qualifications to be a police officer | Daily Life - Global Post. Accessed April 20, 2014, from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/physical-qualifications-police-officer-1444.html Arizona Department of Public Safety (2014). Physical Fitness Requirements: Officer Information - Arizona Department of Public Safety. Retrieved May 4-14 from http://www.azdps.gov/careers/Officers/Physical_Fitness/