Fried foods, even eaten in moderation, are harmful to the heart. The more fried chickens, fish, and potatoes you eat, the more likely you will develop severe long-term heart disease. A new scientific investigation reveals that based on a meta-analysis of nearly 20 studies showing that fried foods are associated with an increase in heart disease and the risk of stroke.
It is customary to say that certain foods considered harmful to health remain harmless when consumed in moderation. But a new study warns of the damaging effects of fried foods on the heart and arteries, even when it comes to small portions.
A study that has certain limitations, however, as the researchers themselves state. These do not explain, for example, scientifically the mechanism showing the impact of these foods on the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Scientists scoured several research databases to bring together relevant studies on the subject up to April 2020. They collated data from 17 studies, involving 562,445 participants and 36,727 major cardiovascular events such as a heart attack or stroke. Stroke, as well as data from 6 studies, including 754,873 participants and 85,906 deaths over an average monitoring period of 9.5 years, to assess the potential link between consuming fried foods and disease-related ends cardiovascular or other causes.
An analysis found a 28% increased risk of major cardiovascular events in those who ate the most fried foods per week compared to those who ate the least. The risk climbed 22% for coronary heart disease, and 37% for heart failure.
The researchers also found that each additional weekly serving of 114 grams of fried food increased the risk of major cardiovascular events by 3%, the risk of coronary heart disease by 2%, and the risk of heart failure by 12%.
No definitive proof
No association has been established between deaths and fried foods eaten, whether due to cardiovascular disease or another cause, and consumption of fried foods. They also caution that the studies included in this meta-analysis all relied on memory.
This is not all since researchers are not yet able to scientifically demonstrate how fried foods can influence cardiovascular disease development. They are only suggesting leads in this survey. These foods generate harmful trans-fatty acids, stimulate the production of chemical byproducts involved in the body’s inflammatory response, and are generally high in added salt; three things could explain their impact on the heart.
Following this study, several UK-based scientists agreed that these results were consistent with health guidelines to reduce the consumption of such foods, but that they could not constitute “definitive evidence” as to theirs. Impact on cardiovascular health to be taken with caution.