Do Fried Potatoes Really Increase the Risk of Premature Death?

There is a new study on the effect fried potatoes have on people. The researchers made this on 4,400 people that were from 45 to 79 years old. These people ate French fries, potato chips, and hash browns 2 or more times on a weekly basis over the course of 8 years. They came to the discovery that these people actually have increased the risk of early death. The risk is double compared to those people that did not consume fried potatoes.

Other Important Factors

In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there was a study published about this same topic. And according to that study, there is no evidence that there is a connection between the risk of early death and consuming fried potatoes. However, according to the lead author and scientist at the National Research Council that is in Padova, Italy, Nicola Veronese, there is another crucial factor. Another crucial factor that can explain morality by consuming potatoes is cooking oil. The cooking oil has a rich content of trans-fat. CNN reports that the trans-fat boosts the levels of bad cholesterol i.e. LDL. And that can result in heart disease. Nicola Veronese has hope that the study will serve as a warning to people that consume fried potatoes on a daily basis. Also that these people should lower their intake when it comes to fried potatoes and potato chips. However, this scientist also noted that other crucial factors might increase the risk of early death with people that often consume fried potatoes. The other crucial factors are high salt intake, inactivity, and obesity.

What is Acrylamide and How to Avoid It

An associate professor at Karolinska Institute in Sweden, at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Susanna Larsson, told CNN that there is no evidence that eating potatoes can increase the risk. Professor Larsson is not part of the study, but she made her own study when it comes to eating potatoes. According to her study, there is no connection between increased risk of heart disease and eating potatoes. On the other hand, Stephanie Schiff, a dietitian at Northwell Health’s Huntington Hospital in New York says that there is a threat from consuming starchy foods and fried potatoes. And also that this food is a potent chemical that can cause cancer. The name of the chemical is acrylamide. She explained that acrylamide is a chemical that is produced when certain foods are at high temperatures. Those foods are starchy foods like potatoes that you fry, bake or roast. You can prevent this from happening by simply steaming or boiling starchy foods. Source WebMD | CNN | The Washington Times