Is Fried Food Bad For You?

Few of us are under the illusion that french fries – or any fried foods -- are good for us. But could eating them actually shorten our life?Although the connection between eating fried foods and obesity and heart disease is well known, a study published earlier this month is the first to link eating fried potatoes to death risk.

The study found people who ate fried potatoes (including French fries, fried potatoes, and hash browns) more than twice a week were more likely to die early than those who ate fried potatoes less often.

The report included 4,440 people, ages 45 to 79, who were enrolled in a study that looked at ways to prevent and treat knee osteoarthritis. Researchers followed participants over an 8-year period and asked them about their diet -- including the amount of fried and unfried potatoes they ate.

Study author Nicola Veronese, MD, said they focused on potatoes because the link between eating them and death risk hadn’t been studied before. Some studies had found that potatoes raise the odds of having heart disease and other medical conditions, says Veronese, a researcher at the Institute of Clinical Research and Education in Medicine in Padova, Italy.

After 8 years, the chance of early death was about twice as high in the group that ate fried potatoes more than 2 times a week. What about french fries might have contributed to the participants' premature demise?

“We think that several mechanisms could lead to mortality,” Veronese says. First, he says, people who eat more potatoes have a higher incidence of medical conditions that can increase the risk of death. Also, "The potatoes are fried in unhealthy oils rich in trans fats. Finally, the high amounts of salt used further increase the risk of death.”

The research didn't prove that french fries caused an early death. “We don't know what other things in their diet and lifestyle may have contributed to their death,” says Lisa Sasson, a clinical assistant professor of nutrition. She adds that unless a food is poisonous or tainted with bacteria, it's not likely to kill you on its own. “That's a very simplistic way of looking at it.”

The big reason deep-frying is so popular is that it will eliminate any bacteria in the food. The same way that 800-degree pizza oven eliminates the possibility of food poisoning.

Fried Food Risks

That means you shouldn't go on a french fry binge -- or binge on any fried foods. Fried foods are high in fat, calories, and often salt. A few studies, including one published in 2014, have linked fried foods to serious health problems like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Fried foods served in fast-food restaurants are often cooked in hydrogenated oils, which are high in trans fats. Many restaurants use these oils because they give food a satisfying taste and crunch. But they're not good for you. Trans fats raise bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, lower good (HDL) cholesterol levels, and raise your chance of having heart disease.

I know we all thought that when the government banned trans fats that we wouldn't have any more in our foods, but the ban was for food manufacturers "not restaurants". Many restaurants still use trans fats to deep-fry because of the price and trans fats will add flavor. In 2018 the ban will be in full effect and restaurants will have to stop using those products.

Don't Abandon Your Diet

Americans love eating out -- and there's no reason why it can't be healthy eating. But you can't always find out the amount of calories, fat, or salt in a restaurant's menu items. So follow these ordering tips to make sure you stay within your healthy diet.

Hydrogenated oil is especially unhealthy when it's reused, which restaurants often do. Oils break down with each frying, which changes their composition and causes more oil to be absorbed into the food, Cahill says. These changes further boost your chances of having high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

The FDA ban on trans fats, which takes full effect in 2018, won’t necessarily make fried foods healthier, Cahill says. Many restaurants have already switched to other oils in advance of the ban.

“The trans fat ban will make fried foods safer theoretically, but restaurants will still be able to use unhealthy oils, including oils that have been reused a lot.  It will be important to monitor the long-term health effects of the new oils being used.”

Add Sasson: “Eating fried foods (deep fried) is not a healthy choice. Fried foods add a lot of calories to food and don't offer healthy nutrients.”

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