Scientists issue heart warning on fat content of doner kebabs

Crunchy salad, toasted pitta bread and a dash of chilli sauce have helped aficionados kid themselves and their taste buds that a doner kebab is one of the healthier takeaway options.
But scientists have found that the food contains up to the equivalent of a wine glass of cooking oil. One of the kebabs tested contained 140g of fat, twice the maximum daily allowance for women. Another contained 111g. Nutritionists said eating two a week could cause a heart attack within 10 years.

Food scientists from Hampshire county council tested the fat, salt and trans fat content of popular takeaway food, including Chinese and Indian meals, pizzas, kebabs and fish and chips. They found many of the dishes contained an entire day's fat in one meal. But by far the worst offender was the doner kebab.

Trans fat, which contributes to coronary heart disease by raising levels of "bad" cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" cholesterol, was found in all the kebabs tested. There is no UK legislation on trans fat in food, but health authorities recommend that consumption should be restricted to trace amounts and the only European standard, the Danish food act, stipulates no more than 5% trans fat in food. Sixty per cent of kebabs contained more than 5%, while the other meals were below the Danish benchmark.

The least fatty takeaway food was found to be Chinese char sui or barbequed pork, but shish kebab also scored low in fat.

The best in terms of low salt content was fish and chips.
Denise Thomas, head of nutrition and dietetics at Portsmouth Hospitals Trust, said that 111g of fat in a kebab was 1,000 calories, the equivalent of a wine glass of cooking oil. "The majority of that fat is saturated, so it's going to raise your cholesterol and give you thickening of your arteries," she said. "If you were eating that meal twice a week on top of your ordinary diet, it's a ticking time bomb of coronary heart disease."

The effect of eating doner kebabs was dependent on the rest of a person's diet. "If you eat lots of fruit and vegetables the rest of the time, it's not going to be a problem. But if you're eating pie and chips and fried breakfasts as well, you're heading towards a heart attack within 10 years."