- Jessica Brown
- Journalist
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One hour before
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Experts recommend consuming cooking oil with less saturated fat
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Cooking oils of various kinds are one of the essential ingredients for every kitchen in the world. However, there is a lot of contradictory information regarding the effects of each type on human health. Therefore, one may wonder how it is possible for him to know which ones are more healthy, and determine whether he should avoid one of them completely or not, in light of the great diversity in what is available from these oils, on store shelves.
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First, let us point out that the names that we give to oils that are used in cooking are usually taken from the seeds, fruits, plants and grains that they are extracted from, whether by grinding, squeezing or processing them. These oils contain large amounts of fats, including saturated fats, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
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Over the past few years, coconut oil, 90 percent of which is saturated fat, has become the latest trend in what is known as a “superfood”. Many people are showered with praise for this species, for various reasons, including that it is not often stored in the body in the form of fat, but rather is consumed as energy. But one Harvard University epidemiologist described this oil as a “pure poison.”
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The health guidelines and instructions applied in the United Kingdom state that consuming more than necessary amounts of saturated fat, more than 20 grams for women and 30 grams for men daily, makes the body excrete a degree of cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease.
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It is known, however, that all lipid molecules consist of chains of fatty acids, which are linked by either single (saturated) or double (unsaturated) bonds. The chains of these acids are divided into three types by length; Short, medium and long. While the first two types are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and are used for energy, the third type, long-chain fatty acids, is transported to the liver, which raises the level of cholesterol in the blood.
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“Coconut oil has been in popularity and popularity for three or four years, when it was said that it has a special positive effect on human health,” says Alice Liechtenstein, professor of nutritional science and policy at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA. But when you read studies that compare it with others, Other types of oils, you will find that the results show that it contains high levels of saturated fats, and you will also see that there are no clinical trials that support what was said at the beginning about its health benefits.
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And most of the experiments that have been conducted before, show that eating coconut oil increases the level of what is known as “low-density lipoprotein cholesterol” that is harmful to health, and is linked to heart disease and strokes. But the same studies report that the same type of oils raises the level of beneficial cholesterol known as “high-density lipoprotein cholesterol” in the body, and removes the first type particles from the bloodstream.
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Among the explanations given by scientists, to explain the reason for increasing levels of beneficial cholesterol in the blood due to eating a food rich in saturated fats such as olive oil, that this type of oils contains relatively large quantities of lauric acid or lauric acid, which studies have shown is the beneficial cholesterol in Blood, much more than it does with harmful cholesterol.
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Vegetable oils usually contain different amounts of saturated fats, monounsaturated fatty acids, and their polyunsaturated analogs as well.
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But Taylor Wallace, an assistant professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition Studies at George Mason University in Virginia, USA, believes that this acid is not beneficial to health as some say, due to its classification among the fatty acids containing 12 carbon atoms, known as C12s. This classification means that “lauric” is at the end of the list of medium-chain fatty acids.
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Wallace explains by saying that the acids belonging to the category (C12s) have a double character. They are similar to long chain fatty acids, but “they are classified under medium chain acids.” “About 70 percent of the C12s act as if they were long chain acids, and so they are transported to be stored in the liver,” he added. It is known that long-chain fatty acids are most likely stored in the liver as fats, which, over time, can lead to health problems.
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Instead, experts advise that one consume oils that contain less saturated fats, and are rich in other types of health-promoting fats, if consumed in moderate amounts. Polyunsaturated fats, which include omega-3 and omega-6, as well as their monounsaturated counterpart, have been shown to reduce the level of cholesterol and provide essential vitamins and fatty acids to the body. We can find these vitamins and acids in many types of vegetable oils. But the quantities that are in these oils depend on the type of plant from which the oil is extracted, as well as the method that is used for this purpose.
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“The majority of studies indicate that foods rich in monounsaturated fats and their polyunsaturated counterparts are associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease,” said researcher Alice Liechtenstein.
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An observational study, that is, an observational study, has linked the substitution of saturated fats with olive oil to a lower risk of heart disease. It was found that this risk decreased by between 5% and 7%, when this type of oil was consumed, instead of butter, margarine, or mayonnaise sauce.
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As part of the study, her teacher, Marta Gouache-Ferry – who is also a researcher in the Nutrition Department at TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University – analyzed the health status and diet of more than 100,000 people, discovering that the risk of heart disease decreased by a factor of 10. 15% among those who drink more olive oil of various kinds.
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We can attribute the health benefits of olive oil to the polyunsaturated fatty acids it contains. They contain vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and micronutrients extracted from plants.
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“Not only do you add olive oil to your diet, but you also replace it with other unhealthy fats,” says Gouache-Ferre.
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Olive oil, which is produced by pressing the olive fruits and separating the oil from the pulp of the fruit, is known to be the most beneficial vegetable oil. A review study of the research conducted in this field revealed that this type of oil has benefits for microbes in the digestive system, and that it also benefits in terms of reducing the risk of heart disease. The study also indicated that eating additional quantities of a type of olive oil known as “extra virgin olive oil” may be beneficial in preventing cancer and type 2 diabetes.
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“The polyunsaturated fatty acids and components and acids found in olive oil help prevent non-communicable diseases. This is not done thanks to the presence of any special properties in them,” says Frácisco Barba, a professor at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Valencia. Rather, it is because our bodies need such components and acids in the first place. “
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One of the main components of the so-called Mediterranean diet is olive oil, which is rich in fruits, vegetables and legumes, and contains only limited amounts of saturated fat. This diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, despite a higher proportion of fats in its components.
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“The presence of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet is what makes it different from other similar diets,” says Gouache-Ferre. “The majority of its other components, such as nuts, vegetables and fruits, are at the same time a component of many other diets, including Those vegetarian systems. ”
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Eating olive oil in place of foodstuffs that contain saturated fats, such as butter, might reduce the risk of heart disease.
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Despite this, some research indicates that the benefits of following the Mediterranean diet may be partly related to other components, other than olive oil. One study indicated that the only benefit of olive oil, if one consumed it in isolation from the rest of the components of the Mediterranean diet, is that it increases levels of health-beneficial cholesterol, known as “high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.”
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The researchers in charge of this study reviewed 30 studies that had witnessed a change in the diet of the individuals of their samples, to identify the effect of olive oil consumption on their health. This showed that following the Mediterranean diet led to a decrease in the level of glucose and an increase in the percentage of “low-density lipoprotein cholesterol” harmful to health, compared to what happened when the respondents followed the diet prevailing in the West. The intervention in this diet, by adding olive oil rich in polyphenol compounds, increased the healthy cholesterol level in the blood.
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However, it was found that consuming olive oil as part of the Mediterranean diet has been linked to improved blood glucose levels. But at the same time it led to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, if this percentage was very high. This diet also led to a decrease in the level of triglycerides, a type of fatty substance that is found in the blood, as well as a decrease in the levels of harmful cholesterol in the body.
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These studies have tested the health effects of many types of olive oil. Some revealed that consuming “extra virgin olive oil” was associated with the greatest health benefits, including the possibility of a reduced risk of heart disease.
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And “extra virgin olive oil” is rich in antioxidants and vitamin “E” (E). And the researchers revealed that it is better than other types of olive oil, in terms of preventing increased levels of harmful cholesterol. This may be due to the fact that other types of this oil undergo a treatment process after the oil is extracted from them, which makes them lose some of their health-related advantages.
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Nevertheless, “extra virgin olive oil” is characterized by its low point of combustion or evaporation, which means that it begins to decompose and emit smoke at a low temperature, compared to other types of olive oils. In recent years, some feared that this particular feature might lead to the release of harmful compounds, and that some of the benefits of this type of oil might be lost during the heating process.
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“Extra-virgin olive oil” is especially good for health when not cooked, says Barba. But even if it is used in cooking, it will still be extremely high in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
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Recent studies have shown that it is safe to use this type of olive oil in cooking. The researchers conducted a number of experiments, in which they observed “extra virgin olive oil” as it was being used for this purpose, in a frying pan for different periods of time, and at temperatures of 120 ° C (248 ° F) and 170 ° C (338 ° F). And they found that it is the temperature difference, not the time period, that somehow affects the polyphenol content of this oil.
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In 2011, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that olive oil producers could say that it reduces the incidence of what is known as “oxidative stress”, which is an imbalance in the body’s content of antioxidants and free radicals (the atoms or molecules that contain On unpaired, or open-shelled electrons). The authority also allowed the producers of this type of oil to indicate that it protects cells and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles from oxidative damage, which may lead to cell aging.
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Liechtenstein says that there are no unique properties in olive oil, more than you would normally expect in an oil rich in monounsaturated fats and their multiple counterparts.
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However, despite this, it is clear that scientific evidence supports the use of this oil and its counterparts of vegetable oils, instead of saturated fats, and urges us to reduce our consumption of oils in general.
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“The message here is not to add more oils. Because that leads to adding more calories,” Liechtenstein says.
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