Older women 'should avoid fried chicken'

Regular intake of fried chicken and fried fish has been linked to higher risk of death among older women. This is according to a new study published on the BMJ.

The study published on the last week of January 2019 found out that foods such as fried fish/shellfish, and friend chicken a closely linked to heart conditions among women aged between 50-65 years.

The researchers based in the US suggest a need for people to reduce consumption of fried foods, particularly fried fish and fried chicken.

Apart from causing heart disease, the researchers also found the specific foods are associated with Type II diabetes.

Evidence regarding the risk of death related with eating fried foods is limited.

The researchers gathered data using questionnaires which helped them to assess the diets of 106,966 women aged 50-79.

These women had enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and were followed until February 2017.

During this time, 31,588 deaths webeen reported among these women, of whom 9,320 were those related to heart conditions, 8,358 cancer related deaths while 13,880 were attributed to other causes.

In the study, the researchers focused on evaluating the women’s specific and general consumption of fried foods, including fried fish, fried chicken, fried shellfish, shrimp, fish sandwich, oysters as well as other fried foods including tortilla chips, and French fries.

After considering factors like diet quality, lifestyle, level of income, and education, the researchers established that eating fried food regularly is directly linked to increased risk of death.