Fat Contained in Fast Food Varies by Country: Study

By Gene Emery

BOSTON (Reuters) - The chicken nuggets and french fries sold at a McDonald's in New York City may be more unhealthy than those sold in Europe, a study showed on Wednesday.

Three Danish doctors found widely varying levels of unsaturated fatty acid known as "trans fat" in foods purchased at McDonald's Corp and KFC fast food chains in 20 countries.

Studies show eating 5 grams of the fat per day increases the risk of heart disease by 25 percent.

In the large nuggets and fries meal, the amount of trans fat varied from less than 1 gram in Denmark to more than 10 grams in New York City, according to the research published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

KFC outlets in Denmark, Russia and Wiesbaden, Germany, had the lowest levels, and KFC outlets Hungary had the highest -- about 24 grams. KFC is owned by Yum Brands Inc..

Half the 43 servings tested contained more than 5 grams of trans fat.

The results show that "industrially produced trans fat can be eliminated without notable increases in the cost of foods or reduction in the quality or availability of foods," Steen Stender, author of the study, told Reuters.

Stender, of Gentofte University Hospital in Hellerup, Denmark, said local prices seem to determine what type of frying oil is used, and the content can vary within a country.

In the United States, the trans fat levels of the fries ranged from 5 grams in Atlanta to 7 grams in New York City.

Denmark's levels were low because the country has passed a law that limits the trans fat content of any food product to no more than 2 percent.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year began requiring food makers to list trans fat levels on their labels.

In February, McDonald's announced that it had understated the amount of fat and calories in its french fries. It had originally said its large serving of fries had 6 grams of trans fat. The company said the correct number was now 8.

© Reuters

Source:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid=2006-04-13T003008Z_01_B397288_RTRUKOC_0_US-FASTFOOD.xml
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