It takes years of a high-fat diet—fast food, full-fat dairy, and lots of red meat—to build up the type of plaque that would cause a heart attack, stroke, or aneurysm. However, a single day of eating fatty foods is enough to change the way your arteries function.
Downing a big meal requires the heart to pump more blood to the stomach and intestines to aid digestion. While the chances of a plate of wings or a couple of slices of pizza causing a heart attack or stroke are extremely low, people with pre-existing cardiac conditions should be cautious.
According to a study of 38 adults that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, they all had a temporary decrease in artery dilation three to five hours after eating a 900-calorie fast food meal containing 50g of fat. Artery dilation is the widening that occurs when the volume of blood inside the vessel increases.
Aside from hangovers, heartburn and indigestion are major causes of work absences, which may explain the rising antacid sales the day after the Super Bowl. Although heartburn is more of a nuisance than a health risk, it can be triggered by fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol, carbonated drinks, and lying down after eating.
When you overfill your stomach, food rises and pushes through the flap between the stomach and the esophagus. This allows stomach acid to enter the esophagus. Some foods, such as wings, burgers, creamy dressings, and high-fat potato chips can also loosen the flap and cause acid reflux. Combining these foods with alcohol contributes to that physical occurrence as well.