Eating chips twice a week can lead to early death

mary kulundu

June 16, 2017 1:20 PM

How often do you have your plate of chips?

___6849253___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___6849253___2017___6___16___12___32771-usut-asal-sejarah-unik-di-balik-french-fries

How often do you have your plate of chips? Quite regular perhaps? Well, you could be booking an early ticket to your grave.

That is according to a study that revealed eating fries more than twice a week doubles your chances of early death.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that over an eight-year period, people who regularly ate fried potatoes were twice as likely to die.

Researchers from the University of Padua in Italy analyzed the potato consumption and health of 4,440 people aged between 45 and 79. After eight years had passed, 236 of the participants had died.

They found that while eating lots of potatoes overall, regardless of cooking method, did not increase the risk of death within that time period, those who consumed fried potatoes two to three times a week were twice as likely to die compared to those who did not eat any.

In this case, all types of fried potatoes including hash browns, crisps, and wedges, were linked to a hike in death rates.

The study said that the age or sex of the participants did not influence the result, though factors like obesity, lack of exercise and high salt consumption may also have contributed to the deaths.

A number of professionals have criticized the study with National Potato Council CEO John Keeling saying "study isn't relevant to the general population" since the data was collected for an osteoarthritis study and includes only patients with arthritis.

He also added that it is not in good light to brand fried potatoes or any other form of potato as unhealthy.

mary kulundu