I found this story interesting.  Without knowing what things like sodium,
sugar, high fructose corn syrup, transfats, etc. were in the "healthier"
foods, it's hard to know what is going on for sure.  Veggie burgers, salad
dressing, sweetened yogurt, and buns can have alot of additives.

Anyway, apparently adding good to the bad doesn't help.  The bad must be
eliminated.

KC

http://tinyurl.com/ypg5fo

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - So-called "healthy" fast-food alternatives to
the classic burger, fries, and soft drink, appear to have similar effects on
the cardiovascular system, new research suggests.

A single fast-food meal impairs endothelial function, lead investigator Dr.
Tanja K. Rudolph, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, told
Reuters Health.

Endothelial function is a measure of the activity of endothelial cells that
line the inside of the blood vessels. These cells control blood flow by
regulating the dilation of the blood vessels.

Impaired endothelial function, which is considered to be a marker for
cardiovascular disease, can lead to high blood pressure or atherosclerosis,
in which the arteries become clogged by plaque, increasing the risk of heart
disease and stroke.

Rudolph and colleagues measured the initial endothelial function and other
markers of cardiovascular disease in 24 healthy volunteers (average age of
32 years) who followed no particular diet and took no vitamin supplements.

The 14 women and 10 men then ate one of three readily available fast food
meals during one week, a different meal the second week and the remaining
meal the third week.

The meals consisted of a beef burger, fries, ketchup, and a lemon-flavored
carbonated drink; a vegetarian burger, fries, ketchup, and a lemon-flavored
carbonated drink; or a vegetarian burger plus salad, fruit, yogurt, and
orange juice, the researchers report in The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition.

Unexpectedly, the researchers found that endothelial function was adversely
affected within 2 and 4 hours after eating each of the three meals, with no
statistically significant differences among them. Furthermore, all three
meals had a negative impact on other cardiovascular disease markers as well,
Rudolph said.

"When we planned the study, our hypothesis was that "healthy" components
like orange juice or salad would be able to prevent impairment of
endothelial function," Rudolph noted, "But we could not show this."

"You can not prevent the harmful effects of fast food to the vascular system
if you only add 'healthy components,"' Rudolph concluded.

SOURCE: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 2007.