Katie Forster
The Independent
Eating chips more than twice a week can double your risk of dying, a new study has found.
Whether with battered cod, a burger, curry sauce or doused in salt and vinegar, chips of all varieties are one of Britain’s favourite treats.
People in the UK consumed three times as many chips in 2014 than in 1974 - including frozen chips bought in the supermarket - according to the Government’s National Food Survey.
Eating chips more than twice a week can double your risk of dying, a new study has found.
Whether with battered cod, a burger, curry sauce or doused in salt and vinegar, chips of all varieties are one of Britain’s favourite treats.
People in the UK consumed three times as many chips in 2014 than in 1974 - including frozen chips bought in the supermarket - according to the Government’s National Food Survey.
“The frequent consumption of fried potatoes appears to be associated with an increased mortality risk,” concluded the researchers, led by Dr Nicola Veronese from the National Research Council in Padova, Italy.
The scientists said the age or sex of the participants did not influence the result, but highlighted that other factors including obesity, lack of exercise and high salt consumption may also have contributed to the deaths.
“Fried potato consumption may be an indicator of a less healthy (Western) dietary pattern which is associated with increased mortality,” said Susanna Larsson, an associate professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
The National Food Survey showed that consumption of takeaway food has nearly doubled since 1974.
Obesity rates have also trebled in the last 30 years to 27 per cent in 2015, with 58 per cent of women and 68 per cent of men said to be overweight or obese
