Subway is usually marketed as being the healthier alternative to other fast food stores like McDonald's, but a recent study by University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that many menu offerings are actually unhealthier.
Researchers from the UCLA found that many people consume just as much sugar, carbs, sodium and overall calories per meal at Subway as they do at its much-maligned competitor, McDonald's
"Every day, millions of people eat at McDonald's and Subway, the two largest fast food chains in the world," Dr. Lenard Lesser-who led the research while a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar in the department of family medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health-said in the UCLA statement. "With childhood obesity at record levels, we need to know the health impact of kids' choices at restaurants."
To conduct the study, UCLA scientists sent a group of nearly 100 adolescents aged 12 to 21 to eat at McDonald's and Subway restaurants, then collected their receipts to track what they ordered. Using the nutrition information available on each chain's website, they calculated the nutritional value of what the kids purchased.
While meals at McDonalds averaged 1,038 calories, the Subway meals weren't far behind at 955 calories each. And at 784 calories, the average Subway sandwich purchase came in even higher than those bought at McDonald's, which averaged 582 calories.
While total calories were slightly lower at Subway, the average calories per sandwich purchased and sodium content were both higher at Subway. The Subway sandwiches contained an average of 784 calories, versus 572 at McDonald's. The sodium content at both restaurants was three times higher than the IOM recommended daily dose: 2,149 mg at Subway versus 1,829 mg at McDonald's.
On a positive note to Subway, side dishes such as potato chips, added an average of 35 calories to meals, while McDonald's sides, such as french fries, tacked on 201 calories.
The study was published online Tuesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
