That depends on how you look at it. "Heating olive oil to [frying] temperature can compromise olive oil’s color pigments that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits. Anywhere from 5 to 15% of the phytonutrients in olive oil can be lost with heating, even when below the smoke point," explains Libby Mills, RD, who was not involved with the study. This means that "slightly enhancing the phenol content in the vegetables is a trade-off of some of the natural health benefits of olive oil itself."Plus, you've probably heard that antioxidants are basically nutritional magic; people love to tout them as cancer-fighting, anti-aging silver bullets. But it's good to know that the real story is far more complicated, with some studies suggesting overdoing it on certain types may actually exacerbate diseases or make them more likely to develop The bottom line is that french fries are not going to prevent cancer (groundbreaking, we know). If you're really that concerned about the antioxidant phenols in your life, the best way to get the most nutrition out of your vegetables is to steam them and then drizzle some EVOO on top, Mills says. But hey, if you want to chow down on some deep-fried anything now and again, don't feel bad about it — french fries are delicious with or without that extra antioxidant punch, after all.