McDonald's, Burger King now 'serving healthier foods'

WASHINGTON: McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's are some of the fast food chains moving towards healthier foods, as per a new study.

New research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health looked at trans fat and saturated fat levels in french fries from five major fast food chains: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Jack in the Box and Dairy Queen.

They found that McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's significantly decreased the trans and saturated fatty acid composition of French fries between 1997 and 2008.

The remaining two restaurants have decreased both trans and saturated fatty acid composition since 2008.

Previous research has indicated that trans fats can elevate the risk of heart disease by increasing "bad" LDL cholesterol and decreasing "good" HDL cholesterol levels.

"I'm also pleased to see that they haven't raised levels of saturated fats to replace trans fats," said Lisa Harnack, PhD, an associate professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health and director of the Nutrition Coordinating Center.