Worrying new research reveals that consuming reused frying oil can lead to higher rates of neurodegeneration in rats and their offspring.
Given that the practice of reheating the same batch of oil is widespread in homes and restaurants around the world, the results of the study suggest that this practice may have serious implications for human health.
Frying involves completely immersing food in hot oil and is a hugely popular cooking technique that can be used to make everything from donuts to falafel.
Unfortunately, however, the tasty treats that are prepared in deep fryers have been linked to a number of diseases, including cancer and diabetes.
These dangers are thought to increase when the oil is reused, as repeated heating destroys the antioxidants and other healthy components contained in the oil, while adding dangerous compounds such as trans fats and peroxides.
However, the consequences of consuming reused oil have not been properly investigated until now.
“Frying at high temperatures is associated with a number of metabolic disorders, but no long-term studies have been done on the impact of consuming processed oil and its harmful effects on health.
To our knowledge, we are the first to report that long-term consumption of reheated oil increases neurodegeneration in first-generation offspring,” study author Kathiresan Shanmugam explained in a statement.
For 30 days, the researchers fed female rats a standard diet and a diet enriched with regular or reheated fat.
At the end of the month, they found that animals fed the reheated oil had elevated levels of liver enzymes, indicating high levels of inflammation and oxidative stress in this key organ.
“As a result, lipid metabolism in the liver was significantly altered, and transport of the brain-important omega-3 fatty acid DHA was reduced. This, in turn, led to neurodegeneration, which was seen in the brain histology of the rats that consumed the processed oil, as well as their offspring,” says Shanmugam.
Such findings illustrate the importance of the liver-gut-brain connection and show how its disruption can lead to neurological damage.
In addition, rats fed reheated oil had increased cholesterol and higher levels of inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), which is associated with heart attacks and strokes.
The researchers also noted cellular damage in the colons of these rats, as well as degeneration of the cells that support neurons, known as glia. In a series of follow-up experiments, the study authors exposed rats to monosodium glutamate (MSG) and found that this common food additive caused additional neurological damage in rats that were fed reprocessed oil.
The study results were presented at Discover BMB, the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, held March 23-26 in San Antonio.
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