Even just one extra serving of fried food per week increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes

Fried food intake is linked to an increased risk of severe heart disease and stroke, according to new research

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A Chinese research team, after reviewing previous studies, concluded that even a small amount of extra fried food could increase the risk of heart disease.

Scientists wanted to investigate the impact that fried food may have on cardiovascular risk, and to shed light on this, they scoured research databases for relevant studies. Until April 2020 there were 19 researches that had investigated the relationship between frying and cardiovascular health, and the authors examined them one by one, comparing the data.

Overall, 562.445 people and 36.727 major cardiovascular "events", such as a heart attack or stroke, were sampled.

The results showed that fried food intake is linked to an increased risk of severe heart disease and stroke, and this increases with each additional weekly serving by 114 grams, which is the equivalent of a small portion of chips each week.

Their analysis showed that, compared to the lowest category of weekly fried food consumption, the highest was associated with a 28% increased risk of cardiovascular events; a 22% increased risk of coronary heart disease; and a 37% increased risk of heart failure.

These risks increased substantially by 3%, 2% and 12%, respectively, with each additional weekly dose of 114 g. of fried foods.

However, the authors themselves warn of limits of their research: For example, it should be noted that the studies reviewed often relied on people's memories of what they ate.

Additionally, several studies included only one type of fried food, such as fish, chips or snacks, rather than the total fried food intake, which may have influenced the results.

He also intervened on this point Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading (which did not participate in the study) underlining that:

“The study was conducted as a meta-analysis, combining the results of 19 previously conducted studies. The authors did it very well and, technically, this study is very good. However, combining so many different studies from different parts of the world and different types of fried foods makes it impossible to interpret the results. There is a big difference between the different types of fried foods and they are unlikely to all have the same impact on health. The authors combine studies of fried fish, fried snacks, fried potatoes - foods that differ greatly in the composition of food. Furthermore, the authors are unaware that fried foods can be very different in different countries and regions: fish & chips, fried fish and pescaíto frito are quite different from each other ”.

Furthermore, exactly how fried foods can influence the development of cardiovascular disease is not entirely clear, but the authors suggest several possible explanations.

Fried foods increase energy intake due to their fat content and generate harmful trans fatty acids from the hydrogenated vegetable oils often used to cook them.

Frying also increases the production of chemical byproducts involved in the body's inflammatory response, while foods, such as fried chicken and French fries, are generally high in added salt and often accompanied by sugary drinks, particularly when served in fast food restaurants.

Ideas that need to be explored with further research to confirm if and how fried foods (and what types of fried foods) affect cardiovascular risk.

Fonti: Scimex / Heart / Science Media Center