Washington, September 28 : Gorging on those French fries and hamburgers may not be a good idea anymore, with a new study showing that fatty foods cooked at high temperatures may cause a significant dysfunction in blood vessel dilation that can lead to heart disease.

Dr Jaime Uribarri of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who led the study, has revealed that cooking foods rich in protein and fat by employing methods involving high and dry heat—such as broiling, grilling, frying or roasting—produces high levels advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which causes dysfunction in blood vessel dilation.

"Although the effect was temporary, it suggests that AGEs could, over time, pose a significant risk to the vascular integrity of both diabetic and healthy persons," Live Science quoted Dr Uribarri as saying in a statement, which was published in the journal Diabetes Care.

The researchers said that stewed or steam-cooked foods tend to have lower concentrations of AGE.

Several previous studies have linked AGEs to a number of diabetes-associated chronic conditions, such as heart disease.

The present study has shown that consuming an AGE-rich beverage causes significant endothelial dysfunction in both people with diabetes and in people without diabetes.

The study’s authors say that endothelial dysfunction is an early indicator of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which leads to heart disease. (With inputs from ANI)