Eating Fried Chicken Every Day Linked to Early Death

Just one serving per day of fried chicken is enough to increase your risk of an early death from any cause by thirteen percent, according to a new study done in postmenopausal women in the United States. 

The study published Wednesday in the medical journal BMJ, also said that women who ate a daily portion of fried fish or shellfish saw a 7% greater risk of death. 

Researchers examined the links between fried foods and risk of death from any cause, focusing on heart disease and cancer. They looked at the eating habits of more than 107,000 postmenopausal women in the United States ages 50 to 79 between 1993 and 1998 who signed up with the Women's Health Initiative. A follow-up with the women was done in February 2017. 

Participants were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire that asked them about how often and how much they ate of 122 food items, including fried chicken and fish. 

The study's authors highlighted that limiting the consumption of fried foods, in particular fried chicken and fish, would be beneficial for public health. They went on to note that up to a third of Americans eat fast food every day. 

"We know fried food consumption is something very common in the United States and also around the world. Unfortunately, we know very little about long-term health effect of fried food consumption," the study's lead author, Wei Bao, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa told CNN.

Researchers say the results can be applied to American men too. Previous health studies of fried foods have not shown a difference between genders. 

Previous studies have also linked fried foods to heart disease and type-2 diabetes. 

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