KFC’s Double Down is a Nutritional Russian Roulette

While KFC in India is launching a “So Veg So Good” marketing campaign, KFC locations in the United States have resurrected one of its least healthful menu items to date—the Double Down.

This sandwich features bacon, cheese, and sauce crammed between two breaded chicken filets. The Physicians Committee has upped the ante by issuing KFC a SICK Award for gambling with customers’ health. The Original Recipe Double Down contains 540 calories, 32 grams of fat, and 1,380 milligrams of sodium. As evidenced in a new report, the extreme amounts of cholesterol, saturated fat, and sodium in the Double Down can lead to heart disease and hypertension. During the sandwich’s initial 2010 launch, Physicians Committee dietitians wrote to David C. Novak, chairman of Yum! Brands, Inc., the company that owns KFC, requesting that the item receive a warning label regarding the high fat content.

When it comes to taking risks with your well-being, there is a 0.0007 percent chance of dying while skydiving. However, one in every four deaths is caused by heart disease, and more than 30 percent of Americans obese. Those are some poor odds. Health-conscious customers can tweet their concerns @KFC on Twitter.