Fried food consumption associated with increased risk for heart failure

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to preliminary findings presented at an American Heart Association meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, have found that fried foods are associated with an increased risk for heart failure.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from over 15,300 male doctors that participated in the Physicians' Health Study.

Participants completed food frequency questionnaires over a 3-year period, and during a mean follow-up of about 10 years, 632 participants developed heart failure.

Results showed that men who consumed fried food one to three times a week had an average 18% elevated risk of developing heart failure, while those who ate fried food four to six time a week had a 25% higher risk. Participants who ate fried foods seven times or more a week had a 68% higher risk of developing heart failure. 

Although the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between fried foods and heart failure, consuming fried foods increases calorie consumption, which in turn causes weight gain, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and heart disease.

Furthermore, people who consume a lot of fried foods may be eating a less healthy diet with fewer vegetables, fruits, and beans.