In this week’s Everything You Like Will Kill You news, a new study has found that eating French fries regularly can greatly increase your chances of premature death.
For this study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers monitored the health of Americans between 45 and 79 years of age over a period of eight years. They found that consuming fried potatoes two or three times a week was directly linked to a higher mortality rate. This included not only French fries, but also hash browns, curly fries, poutine, tater tots, and waffle fries. They’ll all kill you.
During the eight-year study, 236 of the 4,400 participants passed away. Higher mortality was found among those people who regularly consumed fried potatoes. In fact, they determined that eating frequent consumption of fried potatoes led to “more than double” the risk of premature death.
Potatoes cooked any other way actually contribute to your health. (People who ate non-fried potatoes two or three times a week didn’t experience any increased risk of dying.)
So, don’t blame the potato. Blame the deep frying.
Study authors note that potatoes contain nutrients, vitamins, and fibers which may be enough to “counterbalance the effect of their high glycemic content”, but only if they are cooked in healthier ways. French fries have extra salt and fat, which are particularly bad for your health, especially when you eat a lot of them.
So, while French fries are the most common side dish offered with sandwiches, burgers, chicken, and more (I remember growing up in Quebec you could order the spaghetti and fries combo meal), you might want to consider ordering a potato of another form every now and then. Baked. Mashed. Or, hey – go nuts, have a side salad once in a while.
The study concludes, “The frequent consumption of fried potatoes appears to be associated with an increased mortality risk.”
French fries are great. But eating them too often will kill you.
