Fried Foods Might Not Kill You

Neil Wagner reports on a recent study in Spain:

The current study looked at the diet and cooking methods of over 40,000 healthy Spaniards from five different regions of the country that traditionally have widely varying diets. Data were collected between 1992 and 1996 as part of a larger multi-nation European study (EPIC).
A detailed dietary questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers to all study subjects upon their enrollment into the study, a process that took about an hour. The subjects were then tracked for an average of 11 years and the number of deaths and cases of heart disease were compared with the subjects' dietary habits. Overall, there were 1,135 deaths, 606 definite cases of heart disease or serious angina, and 712 suspected cases of heart disease found in the next 11 years.
Increased fried food consumption had no effect on the probability of death or developing heart disease. The results were the same for those who used olive oil for frying and those who used sunflower oil or other vegetable oils.
Frying food adds extra fat and calories. Clearly, it's not a recipe for weight loss. But at least in this study, eating it didn't add up to increased heart disease or a shorter life span.
There are some shortcomings to the study. It only followed subjects for 11 years and heart disease may take longer to develop. And it only surveyed the dietary habits of the subjects once, at the study's start. Clearly, it doesn't give all the answers on how dietary fat affects heart health. It's only one piece in the puzzle, a piece that suggests fried foods, in moderation, can be part of a healthy diet.

What's the point of life if you never take any chances?  Pass me the deep-fried Twinkie, please.