About 86 million Americans over 20 have total cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL, which already puts them at borderline-high risk for heart disease, according to CDC. Around 1 in 10 have full-on high cholesterol. And yet, we’re eating 50 billion burgers a year. That’s a lot of ground beef for a country with clogged arteries.
The problem isn’t just the cholesterol in the burger itself. It’s the saturated fat, the trans fat, the sodium — all of it works together to push your LDL (the bad cholesterol) through the roof.
The American Heart Association recommends healthy people to stay under 300mg of cholesterol a day. If your cholesterol is already high, it’s 200. Saturated fat should be kept under 6% of your daily calories, and there should be zero trans fats in your diet.
In all honesty, if you’ve got heart issues or already high cholesterol, you shouldn’t be messing with fast-food burgers in the first place. But if you’re going to do it anyway, at least steer clear of the worst ones.
Here are eight fast food burgers that are absolutely the worst for your cholesterol.
Culver’s Bacon Deluxe Triple
- Calories: 1,150
- Total Fat: 76g
- Cholesterol: 235mg
- Sodium: 1,430mg
If you’re trying to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check, Culver’s Bacon Deluxe Triple is a three-layered bad idea. It comes with three beef patties, two strips of bacon, classic cheese and nearly 80% of your recommended daily max of cholesterol — so t’s not shy about clogging arteries.
Whataburger Mushroom Swiss Burger
- Calories: 1,110
- Total Fat: 70g
- Cholesterol:130mg
- Sodium: 1,890mg
This is the heaviest burger on Whataburger’s menu, and it’s a problem for your cholesterol from every angle. It clocks in at 130mg of cholesterol, 70 grams of fat, and 1,890mg of sodium. It also contains 1.5 grams of trans fat — the kind that not only raises bad cholesterol but lowers the good kind. Between the creamy au jus, double beef patties, and Swiss cheese, this thing hits hard and not in a good way.
Sonic SuperSONIC Bacon Double Cheeseburger
- Calories: 1130
- Total Fat: 75g
- Cholesterol: 150mg
- Sodium: 2000mg
Sonic calls it “the best burger.” Your arteries might disagree. This double-patty, double-cheese, bacon-loaded sandwich slathered with mayo clocks in at 22 grams of saturated fat, 150 milligrams of cholesterol, and 2,000 milligrams of sodium. That’s more saturated fat than most people should eat in a whole day, and the sodium hits the daily limit — assuming the rest of your meals have zero salt, which they won’t.
Smashburger Double Smoked Bacon Brisket Burger
- Calories: 1,080
- Total Fat: 82g
- Cholesterol: 295mg
- Sodium: 2,770mg
With two Angus beef patties, 10-hour smoked brisket, bacon, cheddar, pickles, and BBQ sauce on a brioche bun, this burger is a triple threat to your arteries.
It has 295mg of cholesterol — nearly 99% of your daily limit — alongside 82g of total fat, including 39g of saturated fat (195% DV) and 4g of trans fat, which is almost double the recommended daily maximum. The sodium content is equally alarming at 2,770mg, exceeding 115% of the daily recommended intake.
Burger King Triple Whopper with Bacon and Cheese
- Calories: 1,350
- Total Fat: 94g
- Cholesterol: 270mg
- Sodium: 1,990mg
This one will royally mess you up. With 270mg of cholesterol, 94 grams of fat, and nearly 2,000mg of sodium, it’s a full day’s worth of regret — and something you should avoid like the plague if you’re struggling with cholesterol. It comes with three patties, bacon, cheese, mayo and sneaks in 2.5 grams of trans fat, which has no business being in anyone’s diet.
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Hardee’s Monster Thickburger
- Calories: 1,400
- Total Fat: 97g
- Cholesterol: 295mg
- Sodium: 2,780mg
Nothing that bears the name “Monster” can be good for you — and Hardee’s made sure of that back in 2004. When it launched, the company’s CEO told CNBC this burger is “not a burger for tree-huggers.” And he meant it. Two quarter pounder Angus patties, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese, and a smear of mayo on a buttered bun come together for a jaw-dropping 295mg of cholesterol, 97 grams of fat, and 2,780mg of sodium. It also packs in 4.5 grams of trans fat — more than double the maximum safe limit (which, again, is zero).
Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple
- Calories: 1,530
- Total Fat: 107g
- Cholesterol: 250mg
- Sodium: 1,940mg
Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Pub was originally a limited-time item, but it came back by popular demand — and cardiologists everywhere let out a collective sigh. While the single version of this artery-clogger is heavy enough, the triple is something even people not watching their cholesterol should think twice about. It’s stacked with three beef patties, Muenster cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, crispy fried onions, pickles, smoky honey mustard, and warm beer cheese sauce, all tucked into a soft pretzel bun.
You’re looking at 1,530 calories, 107 grams of fat (including 45g saturated and 5g trans fat), 250mg of cholesterol, and 1,940mg of sodium. That’s over 80% of your daily sodium and more than double the limit for saturated fat — all before you even touch the fries.
Fatburger – XXXL Triple Kingburger Challenge
- Calories: 1,690
- Total Fat: 97g (124% of daily value)
- Cholesterol: 430mg (143% of daily value)
- Sodium: 2180mg (95% of daily value)
Granted, the XXXL Triple Kingburger isn’t on Fatburger’s regular menu — it’s a challenge. But still, it exists. You have to ask for it, and if you manage to finish all three half-pound patties, you get your name on the Wall of Fame. What you really get, though, is 1,690 calories, 97 grams of fat, and 430mg of cholesterol — 143% of your daily limit.
