Copenhagen: Fast food from McDonald's is healthiest in Denmark and worst in the United States, a Danish study comparing levels of the deadliest kind of fat, trans fatty acids, showed on Friday.
The study, conducted by researchers at Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark and published in this week's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, compare meals bought at McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken in 20 countries around the world.
A large meal of chicken nuggets and French fries at McDonald's in the United States contained 10.1 grams of trans fatty acids, while the same meal in France contained 5.9 grams and just 0.33 grams in Denmark, Steen Stender, who headed the research project said.
"Many people think that wherever you go in the world you get the same thing at McDonald's, but in fact that is not the case," Stender added.
The low Danish levels are the result of low-fat legislation introduced in the year 2004. Under the new law, no more than two per cent of fats in foods sold to customers can be industrially produced transfats (trans fatty acids).
Food producers violating the law risk two years in prison. For a meal of chicken nuggets and potato wedges at Kentucky Fried Chicken, the lowest level of trans fatty acids was registered in Germany, with 0.4 grams, compared to the highest level in Hungary, which had 24.1 grams.
Trans fatty acids clog the arteries and are linked to increased risk of heart disease. "Studies show that five grams of transfat per day increase the risk of heart disease by 25 per cent," Stender said.
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