Fried foods
Pooled observational studies link high fried food intake to 28% more major heart events and 16% more overweight or obesity, with mixed results for type 2 diabetes, blood pressure and death. A Spanish cohort frying in olive or sunflower oil found no link with heart disease. Dietary acrylamide, a contaminant of fried foods, was not linked to most cancers.
Add to Bio HackChecked 2026-11-13
- Status
- A food, not a regulated health product. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 say to swap deep-fried cooking methods for baked, broiled, roasted, stir-fried or grilled ones [1].
- Also called
- fried food, deep-fried food, deep frying, pan-fried food, french fries, fries, potato chips, crisps, fried chicken, fried fish, fish and chips, doughnuts, tempura, fast food
- Studied for
- taste, convenience, comfort food, frying in olive oil for heart health
Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on
Shown to help0
No benefit shown in research yet.
Reported risks6
- ModerateLinked to 28% more major cardiovascular events and 22% more coronary heart disease at the highest fried food intake than the lowest, in pooled observational studies.How often is not known
- ModerateLinked to 16% more overweight or obesity at the highest fried food intake than the lowest, in pooled studies that were mostly cross-sectional.How often is not known
- ModerateMixed results: pooled studies found no link between fried food and death from any cause, while a cohort of US women linked daily fried food to 8% higher death.How often is not known
- ModerateMixed results: two US cohorts linked fried food 7 or more times a week to 55% more type 2 diabetes, while pooled cohorts found no link.How often is not known
- ModerateMixed results: pooled studies linked high fried food intake to 20% more high blood pressure, but the link in cohort studies alone was not significant.How often is not known
- LimitedLinked to 12% more anxiety and 7% more depression with frequent fried food, especially fried potatoes, in one large population study.How often is not known
What it was studied for, and what was found
Not shown to help1
Frying in olive oil rather than sunflower oil
One Spanish cohort found fried food was not linked to coronary heart disease, and the result did not differ between people frying in olive oil and in sunflower oil.
Compared with people who fried in sunflower oil, and the lowest quarter of fried food intake [2]
The numbers and sources
- Effect
- Against the lowest quarter of fried food intake, the hazard ratio for coronary heart disease was 1.15 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.45), 1.07 (95% CI 0.83 to 1.38) and 1.08 (95% CI 0.82 to 1.43) in the second to fourth quarters, and the results did not vary between olive oil and sunflower oil users [2].
- Population
- 40,757 Spanish adults aged 29 to 69 followed a median 11 years, with 606 coronary events [2].
- Sources
- [2]
- Caveats
- One observational cohort in a country where frying is traditionally done in olive or sunflower oil. It does not compare either oil with other cooking methods.
Amounts studied
Studies grouped people by how often they ate fried food, from under once a week to 7 or more times a week [3], or from none to at least one serving a day, with fried chicken and fried fish counted separately [4]. One Spanish study measured the share of calories from fried food, which averaged 15.6% in men and 12.6% in women [5], and another grouped people into quarters of fried food intake [2]. Pooled analyses compared the highest with the lowest intake group [6][7]. A weight study modeled each extra daily serving over 4 years [8].
Risks
Reported risks3
Heart disease
Linked to 28% more major cardiovascular events and 22% more coronary heart disease at the highest fried food intake than the lowest, in pooled observational studies.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- At the highest against the lowest intake, the relative risk was 1.28 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.43, I² 82%) for major cardiovascular events, 1.22 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.40) for coronary heart disease and 1.37 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.75) for heart failure. Stroke (1.37, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.94) and cardiovascular death (1.02, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.14) were not significant. Risk rose in a straight line with intake for major events, coronary disease and heart failure [6]. In two US cohorts, eating fried food 4 to 6 times a week was linked to 23% more coronary artery disease and 7 or more times to 21% more, against under once a week, and the links largely faded after accounting for weight, blood pressure and cholesterol [3]. In Spain, fried food was not linked to coronary heart disease (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.43, top against bottom quarter), whether people fried in olive or sunflower oil [2].
- Population
- 17 studies for major cardiovascular events, 13 of them prospective [6]. 70,842 US women and 40,789 US men with 5,778 coronary cases [3]. 40,757 Spanish adults aged 29 to 69 followed a median 11 years [2].
- Sources
- [6], [3], [2]
- Caveats
- Observational, with high heterogeneity and possible recall and misclassification of fried food intake [6]. People who eat more fried food differ in other habits (confounding). Frying oils and methods differ between countries [2].
Overweight and obesity
Linked to 16% more overweight or obesity at the highest fried food intake than the lowest, in pooled studies that were mostly cross-sectional.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- The pooled relative risk for overweight or obesity was 1.16 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.25, I² 71%), 1.19 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.47) in 2 cohorts and 1.14 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.27) in 9 cross-sectional studies [7]. In Spain, the top fifth of energy from fried food was linked to general obesity (OR 1.26 in men, 1.25 in women) and central obesity (OR 1.17 and 1.27) against the bottom fifth [5]. In US cohorts, each extra daily serving of potato chips was linked to 1.69 lb more weight gain every 4 years [8].
- Population
- Observational studies of adults [7]. 33,542 Spanish adults measured once [5]. 120,877 US women and men followed in 4-year periods [8].
- Sources
- [7], [5], [8]
- Caveats
- Mostly cross-sectional, so cause and timing cannot be told apart. The cohort-only estimate was not significant [7].
Anxiety and depression
Linked to 12% more anxiety and 7% more depression with frequent fried food, especially fried potatoes, in one large population study.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- Frequent fried food consumption, especially of fried potatoes, was linked to 12% higher risk of anxiety and 7% higher risk of depression, more so in men and younger people. In the same paper, zebrafish exposed long term to acrylamide showed anxiety-like and depression-like behavior [9].
- Population
- 140,728 people [9].
- Sources
- [9]
- Caveats
- One observational study, where low mood may shape food choices (reverse causation). The acrylamide work is in fish, not people [9].
Mixed results3
Death from any cause
Mixed results: pooled studies found no link between fried food and death from any cause, while a cohort of US women linked daily fried food to 8% higher death.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- At the highest against the lowest intake, the pooled relative risk of death from any cause was 1.03 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.12) [6]. In US women, at least one serving of fried food a day against none was linked to higher death from any cause (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.16), and at least weekly fried chicken (HR 1.13) and fried fish or shellfish (HR 1.07) to higher death and cardiovascular death. Fried food was not generally linked to cancer death [4]. In Spain, fried food was not linked to death (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.14) [2].
- Population
- 6 studies [6]. 106,966 US postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 followed to 2017 [4]. 40,757 Spanish adults [2].
- Sources
- [6], [4], [2]
- Caveats
- Observational. The US finding is in older women only [4].
Type 2 diabetes
Mixed results: two US cohorts linked fried food 7 or more times a week to 55% more type 2 diabetes, while pooled cohorts found no link.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- Against under once a week, fried food 4 to 6 times a week was linked to 39% more type 2 diabetes (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.49) and 7 or more times to 55% more (RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.83). The links largely faded after accounting for weight, blood pressure and cholesterol [3]. Pooled cohorts found no link (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.15), and all studies together gave 1.07 (95% CI 0.90 to 1.27, I² 84.7%) [7].
- Population
- 70,842 US women and 40,789 US men with 10,323 cases [3]. 9 cohorts and 1 case-control study [7].
- Sources
- [3], [7]
- Caveats
- Observational, with high heterogeneity [7].
High blood pressure
Mixed results: pooled studies linked high fried food intake to 20% more high blood pressure, but the link in cohort studies alone was not significant.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- The pooled relative risk of hypertension was 1.20 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.38, I² 91.8%), 1.06 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.15) in 8 cohorts and 2.16 (95% CI 0.59 to 7.87) in 3 cross-sectional studies [7].
- Population
- Observational studies of adults [7].
- Sources
- [7]
- Caveats
- Very high heterogeneity and unstable subgroup results, which the authors flag [7].
Checked, no increase found1
Cancer and acrylamide
Not linked to most cancers in pooled studies of dietary acrylamide, a contaminant of fried foods, with a borderline link for kidney cancer.
The numbers and sources
- How common
- How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
- Effect
- Across 14 cancer sites, high against low acrylamide intake gave relative risks from 0.87 to 1.14 with no meaningful links, and all continuous estimates were between 0.95 and 1.03 and not significant. Kidney cancer was borderline (RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.45), and in never-smokers so were endometrial (RR 1.23) and ovarian cancer (RR 1.39) [10]. Fried food was not generally linked to cancer death in US women [4].
- Population
- 32 publications [10]. 106,966 US postmenopausal women [4].
- Sources
- [10], [4]
- Caveats
- Acrylamide intake is estimated from food questionnaires. The review measured acrylamide from all foods, not fried food alone [10].
Claims tested and not found
- That fried food is linked to heart disease wherever it is eaten. In Spain, where olive or sunflower oil is used for frying, fried food was not linked to coronary heart disease or to death from any cause [2].
- That acrylamide in food raises the risk of common cancers. Pooled studies found no meaningful link for most of 14 cancer sites [10].
Related
Sources
- US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. realfood.gov. 2026. https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf
- Guallar-Castillón P, Rodríguez-Artalejo F, Lopez-Garcia E, et al. Consumption of fried foods and risk of coronary heart disease: Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. BMJ. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e363
- Cahill LE, Pan A, Chiuve SE, et al. Fried-food consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease: a prospective study in 2 cohorts of US women and men. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.084129
- Sun Y, Liu B, Snetselaar LG, et al. Association of fried food consumption with all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k5420
- Guallar-Castillón P, Rodríguez-Artalejo F, Fornés NS, et al. Intake of fried foods is associated with obesity in the cohort of Spanish adults from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.1.198
- Qin P, Zhang M, Han M, et al. Fried-food consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Heart. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2020-317883
- Qin P, Liu D, Wu X, et al. Fried-food consumption and risk of overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension in adults: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1906626
- Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm EB, et al. Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1014296
- Wang A, Wan X, Zhuang P, et al. High fried food consumption impacts anxiety and depression due to lipid metabolism disturbance and neuroinflammation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2221097120
- Pelucchi C, Bosetti C, Galeone C, La Vecchia C. Dietary acrylamide and cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis. International Journal of Cancer. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.29339