Saturday, January 28, 2012

Fried foods not a direct heart risk! Oh, for JOY!

Any study, particularly one this big, just has to be posted here because I absolutely love fried food, fried fish in particular!    It's the OIL, folks...check this out!


A new study has found that there is no direct correlation between the amount of fried food people eat and their risk of heart disease. Instead, the research found that long-term heart risk depended more on what kind of oil was used in the cooking process — olive oil and sunflower oil are considered the healthiest.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, studied the eating and cooking habits of 40,000 people in Spain for nearly 15 years. The Mediterranean diet favored by most individuals in the study leans heavily on fried foods, particularly fried fish, but also the healthier olive and sunflower oils for the frying.
The Telegraph reports that study participants were then broken into four different groups, based on how often they ate fried foods. Over the course of the study there were 606 medical cases linked to heart disease, but those results were fairly evenly split between the four subsets. More from the study:
"In a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death."
Professor Michael Leitzmann from Germany's University of Regensburg said in the study that two similar research projects found comparable results showing no direct correlation between fried foods and heart disease.
"Taken together, the myth that frying food is generally bad for the heart is not supported by available evidence," Leitzmann wrote."However, this does not mean that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no health consequences," noting that the fried foods have higher calorie counts and are linked to obesity and high blood pressure.
Now, before you throw caution to the wind and sign a Jumbaco petition, bear in mind that not only do those fatty foods contain more sodium and calories, most Americans use less healthy oils to fry their foods. And even more damaging, re-used cooking oils reportedly contain higher levels of saturated fats, which are linked to poor heart health. (Z:  I know for a fact that many Brits use the same cooking oil, left in their frying pans for weeks....be careful, stop doing that)
As Victoria Taylor, senior heart health dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, told the Telegraph, "We currently recommend swapping saturated fats like butter, lard or palm oil for unsaturated fats as a way of keeping your cholesterol down and this study gives further cause to make that switch...Regardless of the cooking methods used, consuming foods with high fat content means a high calorie intake. This can lead to weight gain and obesity, which is a risk factor for heart disease.

Z:  Be careful what oils you use, eat fried food in moderation, but EAT IT!  It's delicious and, if you use olive or sunflower oil, most of us will be just fine........it's Saturday, go get some fish and chips :-)
z

21 comments:

net observer said...

I heard about this, too. But I'm probably better off believing the old conventional "wisdom".

I'll go fried-crazy if take this to heart (no pun intended).

Always On Watch said...

Sodium is the undoing for me when it comes to fast food. Just a little bit of salt, and I bloat up like the Goodyear Blimp!

Brooke said...

I'm sorry, I read your header and immediately ran to get something deep fried while singing the 'Hallelujah Chorus.'

;)

Ducky's here said...

I'll have a clam plate,please.

Z said...

net, you're right...we still should be careful, but ONCE IN A WHILE!?

AOW...I hope I never have to watch salt; I have to admit I'm free with the shaker.

Brooke, I KNOW!

Ducky....pass some to me, please. mmm

Z said...

By the way, our country's going broke, our candidates are enough to gag, our president's taking us down in that ship in the 'cartoon' below this post, and the Yahoo headline (with photos) for the last two days has been:

"Is Oprah really Beyoncé baby's godmother?"

And we get ribbed here for an occasional lighthearted post to remind most of us that we still have humor...

Aren't you just DYING to know if OPRAH is going to be a godmother? Gad!!

MathewK said...

"We currently recommend swapping saturated fats like butter, lard..."

Ah so that's where the terms of insult - lard ass and butter ball - come from.

Olive oil is definitely a good way to go. I love my steaks and other things with a bit of olive oil.

Big Fat Tio Mike said...

Z wrote:

By the way, our country's going broke, our candidates are enough to gag, our president's taking us down in that ship in the 'cartoon' below this post, and the Yahoo headline (with photos) for the last two days has been:

"Is Oprah really Beyoncé baby's godmother?"
---------------

Give the people what they want. That's unfettered capitalism for you.

(who am I?)

SCdottr2012 said...

I'll keep making that fried chicken, biscuits and gravy then.

Kid said...

Excellent, and exactly why I never read 'heath news'. Talk about quack science.

Z, do you watch the cooking shows? I've caught a few of the Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins and for the most part There looks to be some seriously unhealthy food. But darn good looking.

elmers brother said...

Hopefully someone shared this with mayor Bloomberg.

Z said...

Kid, you mean you don't believe this study? or...?

Yes, of course I watch the Food Channel and I LOVE Diners, Drive-ins and Dives because I don't eat that way but would LOVE TO. I feel like I taste very bite Guy gets to take :-)

BFTM...I think it's just bad taste and prurient interests.


Elbro..right!

Dottr; I don't see why not.

Kid said...

Z, No, I don't think there was ever a problem with fried foods, or else it was very limited to a scenario with extremely limited exposure and not the vast majority of fried foods.

I think most of the modern health 'discoveries' are junk science. Like Joe says, none of us are getting out alive. :)

You might enjoy this heheh

Ed Bonderenka said...

This was pretty common knowledge when I lived in Italy in the early 70's.
I remember looking at my first pizza there drenched in oil, only too be told it was olive oil, it was all right...
I think it was Woody Allen's "Sleeper", where he wakes up in the future and finds out all that "science" was wrong: lot's of salt was good for you.

Always On Watch said...

Z,
I hope I never have to watch salt; I have to admit I'm free with the shaker.

As long as your blood pressure is in the normal range, no worries.

You must have good genes!

Lisa said...

I heard that sunflower and olive oil were more healthy to fry with. The why am I using Canola oil?

Anyway time for me to switch. Thanks for the reminder Z.
I fry sometimes . I love to fry Cod fish and I also bread and fry cauliflower . Then I make it Parmesan with sauce and mozzarella

shoprat said...

Now I have to dump and refill my deep fryer. Well I seldom use it so it's not a priority.

Next the government will mandate this.

Z said...

Oh, MAN, Kid! I could DIVE into one of those cheeseburgers and fries!!!


AOW...my bp is usually just fine...but my genes aren't the best in other areas. Plus, I've added a few new health problems to our geneology :-(

Ed..I've always known olive oil was okay, but we have to remember it's not exactly low calorie, in spite of the health values!! Red wine's good for you, too. I very much approve of THAT!

Lisa..fried breaded cauliflower, mmm
I love fried eggplant, too....but MAN, that soaks up the oil so much it's almost getting too much.
I think Canola's really okay; check it out.

Shoprat, yes dump your oil from time to time. I know in England they rarely do!
If the gov't mandates fried food, it'll be the first mandate I'm FOR!

Bob said...

In what kind of oil does McDonald's fry their fries?

How about peanut oil. Five Guys cooks there fantastic fries in peanut oil.

How about vegetable oil. There are vegetable oils without saturated fats.

There's going to be a trip to the burger joint, tonight.

Catherine Moore-Barry said...

Among the holistic practicability who have been advising me (2 years and 2 3 month screens later, still no trace of the Type II Diabetes I was diagnosed with in 2008!!!)... Canola oil comes from Canada where is it used to lubricate engine parts! It is horrible for you. Also, don't use "spreads"... butter is healthier! Put a tub of Country Crock in your garage or shed, open for a few months. It will remain unchanged...no critters, no bugs, no mold. I understand that margarine and spreads are only one molecule away from plastic!

Catherine Moore-Barry said...

Sorry, that's NOT "practicability"... it's "practitioners" ...screwed up on the spell check... drat!!!