The link between eating fried foods and increased risk of heart attacks has been called into question by a new study.

The research shows that it is not the fact that food is fried that makes it unhealthy, but rather what oil is used to fry it in that matters. The study, published in the British Medical Journal found that there was no increased occurrence of serious heart disease in Spain where fried foods are eaten regularly.

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The British Heart Foundation were quick to add however, that as a whole, the Mediterranean diet is healthier than the Western diet. The study's researchers stated, "in a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death."

The study, conducted in Spain, monitored more than 40,000 people, dividing participants into four groups, from lowest fried food intake to highest, they found no significant difference in heart disease. There were 606 incidents linked to heart disease but these were split relatively evenly between the four groups.

Professor Michael Leitzmann, of the University of Regensburg in Germany, said two other studies had also failed to find strong evidence of a link.

"Taken together, the myth that frying food is generally bad for the heart is not supported by available evidence," he said. "However, this does not mean that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no health consequences."

The study concluded that reusing oils and using oils higher in trans fats, such as processed vegetable oils, also appear to interfere with the body's usage of omega-3 fatty acids which are important for heart health.

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