Adults get 11 per cent of calories from fast food every day

Fast food accounts for 11 per cent of average U.S. adults daily calorie intake

Figure rises to 15 per cent among adults aged between 20 and 39



Greasy burgers, french fries and fried chicken account for more than 10 per cent of the average U.S. adult's daily calorie intake, figures show.

A survey of 11,000 adults in the U.S., which is in the grip of an obesity problem, found they get roughly 11 per cent of their calories from fast food on an average day.

The figure rises to 15 per cent of calories among adults aged under 39.

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Grab and go: The average American adult gets 11 per cent of their daily calorie intake from fast food

The survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covered the period from 2007 to 2010 and saw 11,000 adults quizzed about their eating habits.

It represents a reduction from a previous survey carried out between 2003 and 2006, which found that fast food made up 13 per cent of American adults' calorie intake on an average day.

But Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor from New York University, said the 11 per cent average figure gleaned from the latest survey seemed implausibly low.

She said some participants may have deliberately underestimated the amount of burgers and fries they consume given that eating too much fast food is increasingly frowned upon.

Frowned upon: The survey looked at adults' eating habits in the U.S., which is battling an obesity problem

It found that young adults consume more fast food than their elders, with those aged between 20 and 39 getting 15 per cent of their daily calorie intake from the likes of McDonalds and KFC, compared with six per cent for those aged 60 and over.

The results indicated that the average black adult in the U.S. gets 15 per cent of their intake from fast food, compared to 11 per cent for white and Hispanic adults.

Among young adults, those with an annual household income of less than $30,000 got 17 per cent of their calories from fast food, while the figure dropped below 14 per cent for 20 and 30-somethings with a household income above $50,000.

Ms Nestle said the disparity was unsurprising given the large numbers of fast food outlets in low-income neighbourhoods.

The recommended average daily calorie intake is between 1,800 and 2,200 per day for a moderately active adult woman, and between 2,200 and 2,800 for a moderately active adult man.