According to a recent study published by the American Journal of Public Health, health insurers are among the top investors in major fast food chains. Ironically, these companies invest nearly 2 billion dollars per year in companies closely linked with heart and vasculary diseases.

“The insurance industry, so far as it seeks to make a profit, it does so in an amoral way,” Boyd said.

“There’s a ton of irony in it,” said Boyd, a psychiatry professor. “In order to generate profits, they will invest in any area they need to … to make money, even if what they invest in, in this case fast food, is an industry that is known to cause people to get sick and to die early.”

Enjoyed this article? Join 40,000+ subscribers to the ZME Science newsletter. Subscribe now!