Consumer Alert: New McDonald’s McValue Menu Items Could Take a Toll on Your Health, Warns Doctors Group

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As McDonald’s adds its Sausage McMuffin, McChicken, McDouble, and other items to its McValue Menu on April 21,¹ the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is warning consumers in a new report that sausage, chicken, cheeseburgers, and other fast food high in cholesterol and saturated fat can take a toll on their health.

“Everyone is trying to stretch their food dollars in these uncertain economic times,” says Emily Perryman, MS, RDN, nutrition education coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, “but if you value your health, you should avoid fast-food meals containing sausage, chicken, red meat, and other animal products, or you could pay the price by increasing your risk of costly health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.”

Sausage

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, classified processed meat—such as sausage, bacon, and deli meat—as “‘carcinogenic to humans’ (Group 1) on the basis of sufficient evidence for colorectal cancer” after 22 experts from 10 countries assessed more than 800 epidemiological studies.⁸ The experts highlighted a meta-analysis that concluded that each 50-gram portion of processed meat (about the size of a sausage patty) eaten daily increases the relative risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.

Of particular concern is the rise in colorectal cancer among younger people. An American Cancer Society study published in JAMA in 2026 found that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for people under 50.⁹ Research recently published in Nutrition and Cancer found that those under the age of 50 who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer were more likely to consume higher amounts of processed meat and lower amounts of fruit and vegetables compared with those diagnosed over the age of 50 years.¹⁰

Chicken

Research shows that eating fried chicken is associated with a greater risk of death from heart disease. A study published in BMJ found that women who ate fried chicken once or more per day had a 13% higher risk of death from any cause compared with women who did not eat any fried food and a 12% increased risk of death from heart disease.¹¹ The authors of the study say that “reducing the consumption of fried foods, especially fried chicken ... could have a clinically meaningful effect across the public health spectrum.”

Cancer is another concern. A recent study found that eating 300 grams of poultry, such as chicken, per week was linked to an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer and death from all causes.¹² The authors note that cooking poultry at high temperatures may play a role in the increased cancer risk.

Eggs

Dietary cholesterol—found only in animal products, including eggs—has been strongly linked to an increase in blood cholesterol.^13,14 A high level of LDL “bad” cholesterol in the blood increases one’s risk of heart disease and stroke.¹⁵

Eating eggs increases the risk of dying from heart disease, according to research published in Circulation.¹⁶ Researchers compared egg and cholesterol consumption and blood cholesterol levels with death from cardiovascular disease in more than 27,000 participants and conducted a systematic review of existing research. Eating one egg per day significantly increased the risk of dying from heart disease.

New dietary guidelines from the American Heart Association state that “heart-healthy dietary patterns are low in foods high in cholesterol such as fatty cuts of meat and foods typically eaten with eggs such as processed meats (sausage or bacon).”¹⁷

Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition has also shown that consuming one or more eggs per day may increase the risk of diabetes by 60%.¹⁸

Saturated Fat

Eating too much saturated fat can raise the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Several items on the McDonald’s McValue menu contain more than five times the amount of saturated fat recommended by the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which say, “In general, saturated fat consumption should not exceed 10% of total daily calories.”¹⁹

Sodium

More than 70% of sodium in the American diet comes from processed and restaurant foods, according to the AHA, which says that diets high in sodium increase the risk for high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, and other conditions.²⁰ The current Dietary Guidelines say that “highly processed foods that are high in sodium should be avoided.”²¹

Salt is a common preservative used in processed meat production, and the Sausage Biscuit contains a whopping 1,090 milligrams of sodium, which is more than two-thirds of the recommended daily limit for individuals with chronic health conditions.  

Cost-Effective Alternatives

Perryman recommends instead looking for cost-effective and healthful fast-food menu items like a bagel with peanut butter or a fruit cup for breakfast and a garden salad, bean burrito without dairy, or veggie sub for lunch or dinner.

“Look for fiber-rich plant-based menu items made with healthy basics—like oatmeal, beans, and veggies—that will fill you up and boost your health without breaking the bank,” says Perryman.

Choosing plant-based items at the grocery store and preparing meals at home can also help cut costs. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine research published in JAMA Network Open in 2024 showed a low-fat vegan diet reduced grocery costs by 19% when compared with a Standard American Diet that included meat, dairy, and other animal products.²²

Following a plant-based diet can help people reach their health goals including improving heart health,²³ reducing cancer risk²⁴ (including colorectal cancer²⁵), and improving type 2 diabetes.²⁶