Study: Fried Food Is Not Linked to Heart Disease
Last night I made fried chicken for the first time in three years. It was delicious to indulge in what I thought was “the forbidden.” News like Paula’s Deen’s Type 2 diabetes just seemed to reinforce what I’d understood to be truth – if it tastes really good, it can’t be good for you! As a country girl, I grew up on fried chicken and all the unhealthy fixings. Every Sunday was like Thanksgiving, and it still is for much of my family.
As I became more health conscious, I eliminated some of the worst things from my diet, including fried foods. So, just imagine my surprise when I read the results of a new study stating that food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or premature death.
Study Summary
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, took place in Spain where the predominant oil used for frying is either olive or sunflower oil. Of the 40,757 healthy participants who consumed fried food in varying quantities of their diets, only 1,134 had died of heart disease at the end of an 11 year study. The authors concluded that, “…where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed…no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death.
While this study gives me hope that I can add a little more range to my diet, Professor Michael Leitzmann of Germany puts the results in perspective, saying that this study, “does not mean that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no health consequences.” Duly noted.
Follow Technorati