New research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that people who consume chips, or any other fried potato product, at least twice each week are two times more likely to die.
Researchers began a study which tracked 4440 people between the ages of 45 and 79 over a period of eight years, finding that 236 of these participants died during the course of the research.
Food habit questionnaires were used as part of the study, and researchers looked particularly closely at the participants’ potato-eating habits, and found a dramatic increase in mortality in participants who ate fried potato products on a regular basis.
The research found that there was no increased mortality risk attached to consumption of unfried potato products, nor was there any increase in likelihood of death if fried potato products were only consumed on a few occasions each month.
Critics look to make the point that the study did not factor in any other unhealthy habits or activities that participants were involved in as part of their day-to-day lives.
They also wish to stress that regular chip consumption, while potentially a factor in this increased risk of death, may not be the sole or primary factor in the death of participants.
