Why is fried food bad for health?

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Deep-frying, a popular cooking method used around the globe. The frying process is often used by restaurants and fast food chains as a way to make food less time consuming and more appealing. However, these foods tend to be high in calories as well as trans fats, so overeating often has negative health effects.

1. Fried foods are high in calories

Fried foods are usually coated with flour or flour before frying. Furthermore, when foods are deep-fried in oil, a certain amount of water is lost and fat is absorbed, which increases their calorie content. Fried foods are significantly higher in fat and calories than non-fried foods. For example, a 100-gram baked potato contains 93 calories and 0 grams of fat, while the same amount of 100 grams of potato chips contains 319 calories and 17 grams of fat.

2. Fried foods are often high in trans fats

Trans fats are formed when unsaturated fats undergo hydrogenation. Food manufacturers often apply hydrogenation of fats using high pressure and hydrogen gas to increase the shelf life of their products and their stability, but hydrogenation also occurs when The oil is heated to a very high temperature during cooking. The frying process will change the chemical structure of fats, and make it difficult for your body to break them down, leading to negative health effects.
Trans fats are associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including: Heart-related diseases, cancer, diabetes and obesity.
An American study of soybean and canola oils found that 0.6–4.2 percent of their fatty acid content contained trans fats. When soybean and canola oils are heated to high temperatures, such as during frying, their trans fat content can increase.
One study found that each time oil is reused for frying, the trans fat content of fried foods increases. However, you need to distinguish between artificial trans fats and natural trans fats found in foods like meat and dairy products. These substances have not been shown to have the same negative health effects as those found in fried and processed foods.

3. Eating fried food may increase the risk of disease

Several studies performed in adults have found an association between eating fried foods and the risk of chronic disease. Eating fried food is linked to a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
3.1 Heart Disease Eating fried foods can contribute to high blood pressure, low good HDL cholesterol, and obesity, all of which are risk factors for heart disease. The more often people eat fried foods, the higher their risk of heart-related disease.
A study conducted using fried fish found that women who ate one or more servings of fried fish per week had a 48% increased risk of heart failure, compared with those who consumed 1-3 servings per month.
Another observational study looking at fried foods found that a diet high in fried foods was associated with a significantly higher risk of heart attack. People who eat a diet high in fruits along with vegetables have a significantly lower risk of disease.
3.2 Diabetes Some studies have found that fried foods can put you at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. People who ate fast food more than twice per week had twice the risk of insulin resistance compared with those who ate it less than once a week. Furthermore, studies conducted have also found a strong association between how often participants ate fried food and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Those who ate four to six servings of fried food per week. may have a 39% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who eat less fried food.
Similarly, people who ate fried foods seven or more times per week had a 55% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consumed less of the same servings per week.
3.3 Obesity Fried foods contain more calories than non-fried foods, so eating a lot can significantly increase your calorie intake. Furthermore, studies on only fried foods have found that the trans fats in fried foods can play an important role in weight gain, as they can affect the hormones that regulate obesity. appetite and fat storage. So the problem may be the type of fat, rather than the amount of fat.
An observational study that looked at the diets of 41,518 women for 8 years found that increasing trans fat intake by 1% resulted in 0.54 kg weight gain in normal weight women. Among women with symptoms of overweight, a 1% increase in trans fat intake resulted in a weight gain of 1.04kg over the course of the study. Meanwhile, an increase in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intake was not found to be associated with weight gain.

4. Fried foods may contain harmful acrylamide

Acrylamide is a toxic substance that can form in foods during high-temperature cooking, such as frying, roasting or baking, and is formed by a chemical reaction between sugar and an amino acid asparagin.
Foods with starchy ingredients such as chips and baked goods often have higher concentrations of acrylamide. Animal studies have found that high concentrations of acrylamide are associated with a risk of certain types of cancer.
However, most of these studies used very high doses of acrylamide, between 1,000–100,000 times the average amount humans would be exposed to through the diet.
A review of fried products found a modest association between dietary acrylamide in humans and kidney , endometrial and ovarian cancer . Other studies performed on fried products indicate that dietary acrylamide in humans is not associated with an increased risk of any common cancers.

5. Safer frying oils and alternative cooking methods

If you like the taste of fried foods, consider cooking them at home with healthier oils or alternative frying methods.
5.1 Healthy Oils The type of oil used for frying greatly influences the health risks associated with fried foods. Some oils can withstand high temperatures, so they are safer to use. Oils consisting mainly of saturated and monounsaturated fats are most stable when heated. Coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil are also among the healthy oils.
5.2 Unhealthy Oils Cooking oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats are less stable and known to form acrylamide when exposed to high heat, including:
Canola oil Soybean oil Cottonseed oil Corn oil Sesame Oil Sunflower Oil Safflower Oil Grape Seed Oil Rice Bran Oil

6. Choose healthy fried foods instead of traditional frying

Oven Frying: This method involves baking food at a very high temperature (232°C), allowing the food to be crispy with little or no oil.
Air frying: You can also apply food frying in a hot air fryer. These machines work by circulating extremely hot air around the food. Fried food is crispy on the outside and very moist on the inside, similar to traditional fried food, but using 70–80% less oil.
Consuming foods fried with unstable or unhealthy oils can have a number of negative health effects. Consuming these foods regularly can put you at a higher risk of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Therefore, you should avoid or strictly limit the consumption of ready-to-eat fried foods. Furthermore, there are several other cooking methods and healthier fats that you can use instead.
Once you understand the relationship between fried food and health, you should consider adjusting your diet so that it is reasonable, ensuring the best health as well as minimizing the risk of disease.

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Reference source: healthline.com