Salty burger not only in New Zealand

The saltiest burgers are eaten in New Zealand

04/17/2012

That fast food contains a lot of salt, is known. However, the amount varies greatly from country to country, Australian researchers now revealed. They examined specific fast food dishes from six major international retailers in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The saltiest burgers are therefore in New Zealand on the table.

Fast food chains could reduce the salt content of their food
Elizabeth Dunford of Sydney's The George Institute for Global Health and her colleagues revealed that fast food providers salt their food differently in different countries. In the journal “Canadian Medical Association Journal” the scientists write that this proves that the fast food chains could have an influence on the salinity and could contribute to a healthier diet by reducing the amount of salt. High levels of salt in foods increase blood pressure and therefore increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The international research team investigated the salt content of 2,124 foods from six major international fast food chains in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, France and the United States. Based on information from the providers, which included Subway, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's. The researchers chose these fast food chains as they are the largest transnational providers of their kind.

Fast food is too salty and causes high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
The statistical analysis included products such as burgers, chicken nuggets, French fries, sandwiches and salads. Researchers at McDonald's Chicken Nuggets in the United States identified 1.6 grams of salt per 100 grams of product, two and a half times the salinity of the same dish in the United Kingdom (0.6 grams per 100 grams of product). For spicy breakfast ingredients like ham, US salinity was particularly high at 1.8 grams per 100 grams of product. By comparison, it was 1.4 grams in the United Kingdom and 1.1 grams in New Zealand. Another result of the analysis showed that the sandwiches of Pizza Hut are on average 70 percent salty than those of the competitor Subway. The salty burgers are served in New Zealand. They contain an average of 1.4 grams per 100 grams of product. In the US and UK, burgers have salt contents of 1.3 and 1.1 grams, respectively.

The scientists assume that the differences in the salinity of the fast food providers are not accidental or production-related but are intended. Dunford points to previous studies that have shown that the amount of salt in food can be reduced peu á peu without attracting the consumer's attention. They would gradually get used to it. The fast food providers would contribute to a healthier diet.

Lower salt levels could save thousands of lives
As early as 2010, US researchers reported in the journal „New England Journal of Medicine“, That less salt in food could save thousands of lives every year. They write that Americans in the US are taking a lot of salt. Reducing the daily dose by three grams could avoid between 44,000 and 92,000 deaths per year, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of the University of California at San Francisco and her colleagues said. Doctors estimated that there were between 54,000 and 99,000 fewer acute heart attacks, 60,000 to 120,000 fewer new chronic heart conditions, and 32,000 to 66,000 fewer strokes per year. According to researchers, the US healthcare system could be relieved of this by 10 to 24 billion dollars annually.

If children and adolescents begin to limit their salt intake at an early stage, the risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease can be significantly reduced, experts say. This does not mean, however, that older people no longer have to pay attention. In the age groups 35 to 50 reduces the risk of heart disease by the reduced salt consumption after all, still by 30 to 43 percent, as Bibbins-Domingo and her team determined. That would be statistically 2.7 to 3.9 million fewer high blood pressure patients. With increasing age, however, the positive factor of reduced salt intake diminishes, since then additional risk factors would be added that would not exist at a young age.

Lower high blood pressure through a low-salt and low-fat diet
Hypertension, also known as arterial hypertension, is a condition in which the blood pressure of the arterial vascular system is chronically elevated. Later, it leads to coronary heart disease, ie diseases of the coronary arteries, renal damage, heart attacks and strokes. By changing the lifestyle affected people can significantly contribute to improving their health. High blood pressure patients should absolutely give up smoking, reduce their obesity and switch to a healthy, low-fat diet. Particularly suitable is the Mediterranean diet, which contains a lot of fruits and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, low-fat dairy products, low-fat meat and fish and always a little olive oil. (Ag)

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Image: Thommy Weiss