Sunflower and olive oil not linked to heart disease

Consuming foods fried in olive or sunflower oil does not increase a person's risk of developing heart disease, according to new research.

A study at the Autonomous University of Madrid found that incidents of heart disease and premature death are not higher among those who cook food in olive or sunflower oil.

However, researchers stress that because the study was conducted in a Mediterranean country where those oils are used regularly the findings may not apply to other countries where solid and re-used oils are used for frying.

Although frying has been found to increase risk factors for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, a link between fried food and heart disease has not been fully explored.

Professor Pilar Guallar-Castillon, leader of the study, surveyed the cooking styles of 40,757 adults between the ages of 29 to 69 over an 11-year period.

At the start of the study none had previously had a heart attack and by the end only 606 participants that used sunflower and olive oil had experienced events linked to heart disease, while only 1,134 had died.

Fish oil is also believed to reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease.

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