Consuming 4 or more servings of fried foods, or 7 or more beers and liquors per week is directly related to an increased risk of obesity.

PHOTO: Manuel Castells

According to the conclusion of the researcher Carmen Sayón, from department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Navarra, the consumption of four or more servings of fried food, or seven or more glasses of beer or liquor per week is directly related to higher rates of overweight and obesity.

This is the result of the study that has been developed within the project SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra), directed by the Full Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, and Dr. Maira Bes-Rastrollo.

The project SUN, one of the programs of study of Nutrition with the largest issue of volunteers in Spain, has allowed Carmen Sayón to count on the data on eating habits and life habits of more than 9,000 graduates with a average of 38 years of age who have been followed up during the last six years. According to the results obtained, the consumption of alcohol -in the form of liquor and beer- and the excess of fried food "is associated with greater weight gain, but not if the amount of alcohol is less or if it is another subject of drinks, such as red wine", clarifies the researcher.

In this sense, the work, which was part of Carmen Sayón's doctoral thesis , revealed no differences in the influence of alcohol and fried foods on the increase in overweight between men and women.

Virgin oil also for frying

For the experts, the consumption of alcoholic beverages should be as moderate as possible: "No more than one glass a day in the case of women and no more than two in the case of men. And, if possible, in the form of red wine," stresses the expert. In the case of fried foods, the new doctor of the department of Preventive Medicine of the University of Navarra considers that these should not exceed two servings per week. "In addition, it seems that it may be preferable to fry foods with virgin olive oil," she stresses.

A first article derived from this thesis has already been published in the journal Nutrition and another will be published shortly in Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

In addition to the University of Navarra, several Spanish universities are collaborating in project SUN, including the University of Cantabria and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It is also funded by high school de Salud Carlos III of Madrid, as part of the network PREDIMED (Alimentación Saludable en la Prevención Primaria de Enfermedades Crónicas).