Eating fried food may not be bad for the heart, as long as you use olive or sunflower oil to make it, experts say.
They found no heightened risk of heart disease or premature death linked to food that had been cooked in this way.
Professor Michael Leitzmann from the University of Regensburg in Germany said: "Taken together, the myth that frying food is generally bad for the heart is not supported by available evidence.
However, this does not mean that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no health consequences.
The study suggests that specific aspects of frying food are relevant, such as the oil used, together with other aspects of the diet.
Mediterranean diets have long been hailed as healthy, being packed full of low-fat, high-fibre fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh fish.
And numerous studies have shown a balanced diet such as this can cut the risk of illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
Participants in the study used unsaturated fats such as olive and sunflower oil to fry their food. Researchers currently recommend swapping saturated fats like butter, lard or palm oil for unsaturated fats as a way of keeping your cholesterol down and this study gives further cause to make that switch.
