Disputing a recent study, sources point out the nutritional value of fried potatoes
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
On June 13, 2017, AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons) released an article titled “Your Fries May Be Deadly,” by Cheryl Bond-Nelms, stating that a recent study links frequent consumption of French fries to a higher mortality risk.
Several sources have taken issue with the article and the original study itself, published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study, which analyzed the dietary habits of 4,400 people, ages 45 to 79, focused on how often participants ate potatoes, fried or not.
Researchers found that people who consumed fried potatoes, specifically hash browns, French fries and tater tots, at least twice a week, could more than double their risk of premature death.
The article published by AARP goes on to state, “And the most shocking result was that, by the end of the study, 236 participants had died.”
That statement, however, is immediately followed by a quote from Beth Warren, author of Living a Real Life with Real Food, who said, “I don’t think they died from eating French fries alone, but most likely the habit meant they also indulged in other high-risk eating behaviors.”
