Fried food is often criticized for negatively affecting health but a recent study has highlighted its role in increasing the risk of heart diseases and stroke. This study is published in the journal Heart, online.
According to this study, the popular western diet doesn’t ensure good health. But which food or food combination negatively affects the health was not fully clear. This new study has finally shown that eating fast food in access eventually increases the risk of heart diseases and stroke.
These findings are based on data collected from 19 studies which were released till April 2020. They shortlisted 17 of these studies and used the data taken from 562,445 individuals and some 36,727 cardiovascular problems including heart attack, stroke, and others.
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Then they overlooked the data from six more studies, involving 754,873 individuals and nearly 85,906 deaths during the time of 9.5 years. All this effort was to find a potential link between fried food preference and deaths especially caused by heart disease or any other reason.
The results showed that fried food consumption was directly associated with an increased risk of heart diseases. Eating fried food weekly was linked with a 28% increase in any major heart disease, 22% high risk of coronary heart disease, and approximately 37% increased risk of heart failure.
This linear association was found to be true in various studies with different characteristics of the participants. This risk was further increased when the participants reported an extra 114g increase in weekly serving.
Most of these studies only focused on one kind of fried food which was either potatoes, snacks, or fish. But none of them studied the effect of all fried foods, collectively which gives a reason to question the results, suggesting that the real number of affected people could be much more.
The design of all these studies included in this new study varied from each other. But one important thing is that all of them relied on the memory of their participants and didn’t really record any eating habits or quantity. While interpreting the results, it has to be mentioned that these results are based on data majorly built on assumptions.
Still, there is no clear information about how eating fried food increases the risk of heart diseases but the outcomes suggest multiple possibilities.
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First, that fried food immediately increases energy mainly due to their fat content but at the same time, they also add some dangerous trans-fats to the body, mainly coming from veg oil in which they are deep-fried.
The process of frying is unhealthy because the by-products is this process may trigger inflammation inside the body. Additionally, some fried foods such as fries and deep-fried chicken have a high amount of sodium in them. And when they are eaten as a ‘meal’ with high sugary drinks i.e. soda, shake, they increase the overall damage to the body.
No one can deny the significance of a healthy diet for a lowered risk of heart diseases and stroke. Most heart patients are advised to consult a nutritionist and get a customized diet plan to improve their health. Leaving fried food especially when you are a high-risk patient or recovering after a heart attack or stroke is probably the best thing.
