A new research paper published in the latest British Medical Journal claims there is little evidence to support the contention that fried food is unhealthy. Rather, the researchers found, it is in the nature of the oil in which it is fried that health problems originate.
A linked prospective cohort study led by associate Professor Pilar Guallar-Castillón of the Autonomous University of Madrid considered data from 40,757 people in five different Spanish regions. Amongst its primary findings was that the risk of coronary heart disease did not increase so long as the frying medium was either olive oil or sunflower oil.
As fried food is generally considered to be unhealthy, particularly in regard to coronary disease, the results will be trumpeted as beneficial by purveyors of fried foods and oils, but the British Medical Journal advocates caution in simplistic analyses of the results.
In an editorial in the same edition in which the paper is published, the journal says: ‘Taken together, the myth that frying food is generally bad for the heart is not supported by available evidence. However, this does not mean that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no health consequences. The study by Guallar-Castillón and colleagues suggests that specific aspects of frying food are relevant, such as the oil used, together with other aspects of the diet.
Frying modifies the nutritional content of foods and the frying medium. For example, frying leads to an increase in trans fats and a decrease in unsaturated fats in foods. Frying also increases the energy density of food and makes food more palatable, which may lead to the consumption of larger amounts. Indeed, consumption of fried foods has been found to increase the likelihood of cardiovascular risk factors, including arterial hypertension, low concentrations of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and adiposity.
……Future studies should therefore characterise fried foods in more detail by including information on the type of oil used for frying, the type of frying procedure performed (deep fried or pan fried), the time and temperature used for frying, and the degree to which oils are reused.
Such improvements in dietary assessment should help disentangle the myths from the facts when evaluating the potential effects of fried foods on human nutrition and health. In terms of the practical implications of Guallar-Castillón and colleagues’ study, advice should focus on achieving an appropriate balance of fried foods –such as fish, meat, and potatoes – because these contain considerable amounts of nutrients that affect the risk of coronary heart disease.”
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