Fried Foods Increase Risk for Heart Disease

Fried foods can increase your risk for heart disease by as much as 68 percent, according to an abstract presented by Harvard at an American Heart Association meeting this month in Baltimore. Researchers followed the diets of 15,300 doctors as part of the Physician’s Health Study for about three years. Those who ate fried foods up to three times a week saw an 18 percent increased risk for heart disease. The risk increased with the frequency of fried food consumption, with about a 25 percent increased risk if eaten four to six times a week and up to 68 percent if eaten seven times or more a week. This study suggests the most healthful diet should contain high amounts of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains and should limit foods high in saturated fats.

Join us at the Physicians Committee’s 2015 International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine: Cardiovascular Disease this summer in Washington, D.C., to hear about the latest research on cardiovascular disease.