According to a recent study, published in the journal BMJ, consumption of fried chicken regularly may increase the risk of death for women by 13 percent. The study was conducted on postmenopausal women in the US and the findings of the study revealed that there was an association between consumption of fried chicken and risk of death from any cause, except cancer.

As compared with women who did not consume any fried food, the researchers pointed out from the study that women eating a daily portion of fried fish or shellfish saw a 7 percent greater risk of death. As per the researchers of the study, limiting or cutting down the consumption of fried food (fried chicken and fish) may prove to be beneficial for public health.

Speaking about it, lead author of the study Wei Bao said, "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 observational study is the first of its kind in the US that takes a look at the relationship between fried food consumption and mortality, Bao added.

As per the findings of the previous studies, frequent consumption of fried foods was also linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes. According to a study, conducted in the year 2017, people who consume fried potatoes two or more times a week, double their risk of an early death as compared to those who avoid them.

For the study, the researchers looked at the food habits of almost 1,07,000 women. The participants of the study were between the ages of 50 and 79 years from 40 clinics across the United States between 1993 and 1998. After analysing the study, researchers found that women eating one or more servings of fried food a day had an increased risk of death by 8 percent. However, this finding was not statistically significant, the study added. At the same time, there was no link between total or specific fried food consumption and cancer deaths.

Fried food's link to health outcomes is the combined effect from the food itself and the frying process, Bao explained.

The researchers concluded by saying that there could be various reasons behind this rise in risk. One possibility could be that these foods could be ultra-processed, meaning they may be high in sodium, which could contribute to a higher risk of mortality.