No association was found for deaths from cardiovascular disease or any cause, but the researchers said this may be due to the relatively small numbers involved in some of the studies.
When the food is fried, it absorbs some of the fat from the oil, potentially increasing calories. In addition, commercially fried and processed foods can often contain trans fats, created by an industrialized process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid (think of semi-soft margarine and vegetable fat).
The food industry loves trans fats because they are cheap to produce, they last a long time and they give food a great flavor and texture.
In addition to fried foods, you’ll find trans fats in coffee creams, cakes, pie crusts, frozen pizza, cookies, biscuits, cookies and dozens of other processed foods.
There is still a gap, however. The FDA allows companies to label a food as “0 grams” of trans fats if a portion of the food contains less than 0.5 grams.
Only one association
Despite the evidence behind the impact of trans fats on health, this meta-analysis of studies can only show an association between consumption of fried foods and cardiovascular risk.
The “results of this study are consistent with current guidance to limit the intake of fried foods, but cannot be considered to provide definitive evidence on the role of fried food consumption in cardiovascular health,” said Alun Hughes, professor of cardiovascular physiology and University College London pharmacology in a statement. Hughes was not involved in the study.
This is because most studies of this type respond to the study participants’ memory of the amount and type of fried foods consumed, which is subject to errors. In addition, high consumption of fried foods is likely associated with overeating and obesity, lack of exercise and other health-damaging behaviors that can contribute to heart disease, experts said.
“If the relationship is causal, we cannot assume that this association is definitely due to the fat content of foods, as many of these foods are highly processed and often contain fat and carbohydrates together,” said nutritionist Duane Mellor, senior professor at Aston Medical School in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
“Therefore, when considering this type of study, it is important to consider that while reducing fat intake is a logical part of a healthy diet, it is also important to note which foods are eaten instead,” said Mellor, who was not involved in the study.