After 87 years, the Cleveland Clinic finally starts studying sandwiches

By Beau Cadiyo

I’ve been waiting for most of my 29 years to say this: serious research is now being done by the Cleveland Clinic into sandwiches. Brigid Prayson, James T. McMahon, PhD, and Richard A Prayson, MD published an article titled Fast food hamburgers: what are we really eating? in the Annals of Diagnostic Pathology. (Brigid, the daughter of Richard, is a high school student; bravo to her for this work. I hope Harvard calls soon with a scholarship.)

The study found, among other things, that the biggest ingredient in fast food hamburgers is water, the actual meat content of fast food hamburgers ranges from 2.1-14.8%, and that much of the rest of the patties is skeletal muscle, connective tissue, blood vessels, nerves, “adipose tissue,” plant matter, cartilage and bone. The authors found parasitic organisms in two hamburgers.

The good news is that the Cleveland Clinic is finally recognizing that sandwiches warrant real, thorough academic study. The bad news is that the research is showing just how bad fast food hamburgers really are. To see the entire story, go to www.pubmed.gov (I believe a subscription is required).