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Kebabs can contain a wine glass of cooking oil, warn scientists in shock fast-food survey
Last updated at 11:07am on 15.05.08A shocking survey of takeaways has found a doner kebab containing the equivalent of a wine glass full of cooking oil, and other fast food favourites are not far behind.
Nutritionists said today that just two of these greasy takeaway meals a week could cause a heart attack within 10 years.
Food scientists from Hampshire County Council tested the contents of popular takeaways, including Chinese, Indian, pizzas, kebabs and fish and chips, and made some worrying discoveries.
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Scientist testing takeaway food found that one kebab had the equivalent of a wine glass of fat
Denise Thomas, head of nutrition and dietetics at Portsmouth Hospitals Trust, said she was shocked at the results.
Many of the dishes contained an entire day's fat allowance in just one meal.
One of the doner kebabs contained 111g of fat - twice the maximum daily allowance.
Mrs Thomas said: "If this kebab weighs 400g, the fat content is a quarter of the meal.
"That, on its own, gives you 1,000 calories - equivalent to 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.
"If you were eating that meal twice a week on top of your ordinary diet it's a ticking timebomb of coronary heart disease."
She added: "It depends on the rest of your diet, and the older or more inactive you are the more likely it is you won't clear it from your system.
"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.
"I really, seriously believe that local councils who sanction takeaways should be vetting what's allowed to happen.
"Sixty per cent of Portsmouth's population is obese or overweight and meals like this are contributing."
Hampshire Scientific Service sampled 150 takeaway meals across the south.
Science consultant Jen Green said: "The worst offender was the doner kebab. The best for fat was char siu pork and the best for salt was cod and chips."
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