Which cooking oils are the healthiest for the human body? Oils are rich in fat and calories, but their chemical composition and effects on human health can vary widely.
Edible oil is the main food in the kitchen, but there are contradictions about the health effects of different types of edible oil, the views reported by the media before are different, supermarkets sell a variety of edible oils, including: coconut oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, avocado oil, etc., how do we distinguish which edible oil is beneficial to human health, should we completely avoid eating other edible oils?
The name of the cooking oil is derived from the pressed nuts, seeds, fruits, plants or grains, and is characterized by its high fat content, including: saturated fats, monounsaturated fatty acids, fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
In recent years, coconut oil containing about 90% saturated fat has become the most popular "superfood", it is known as a "superfood" because it is less likely to be stored in the form of fat in the body, but more likely to be consumed in the form of energy, however, an epidemiologist at Harvard University in the United States called coconut oil "pure poison".
Excessive intake of saturated fats by the body – more than 20 grams per day for women and more than 30 grams per day for men – causes the body to produce cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease. All fat molecules are made up of fatty acid chains, which are combined by single bonds (saturated fats) or double bonds (unsaturated fats), there are 3 types of fatty acids: short-chain, medium-chain and long-chain, short- and medium-chain fatty acids are absorbed directly into the bloodstream to provide energy, while long-chain fatty acids are transmitted to the liver, thereby raising blood cholesterol levels.
3-4 years ago, coconut oil was popular with users, and many people at that time believed that it had special effects and played a positive role in human health. But studies compared to other edible oils have shown that coconut oil is high in saturated fat, and there are no previous clinical trials to support that the saturated fats in coconut oil that have been proposed before are not stored in the human body in fat form.
Most randomized controlled trials have shown that consuming coconut oil raises levels of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which has been linked to heart disease and stroke, but it also raises good cholesterol, the high-density lipoprotein index, which carries LDL away through the bloodstream.
One explanation for why foods high in saturated fat increase HDL cholesterol, which contains a relatively high index of lauric acid, has been found to be much more effective in raising hdL lipoprotein levels in the blood than LDL.
Experts recommend eating oils that are lower in saturated fat and higher in other types of fats, while moderate intake of edible oil is more beneficial to health. But lauric acid isn't as healthy as some claim, and it's classified as a C12 fatty acid, which means it has 12 carbon atoms, and it's at the limit of medium-chain fatty acid definition.
C12 is structured like long-chain fatty acids, but is classified as medium-chain fatty acids, and about 70% of C12 is transported to liver tissue as long-chain fatty acids, which are more likely to be stored in the liver in the form of fats, which over time are likely to cause health problems such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Instead, experts recommend that people consume low saturated fat, higher fat types, and emphasize that moderate consumption is healthier. At present, researchers have found that polyunsaturated fats, including: omega 3, omega 6 fats, and monounsaturated fats, can lower the body's cholesterol index and provide essential fatty acids and vitamins. They are found in many different types of vegetable oils, although the exact amount depends on the plant type and the technology used in the production process.
Most studies have shown that foods rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are strongly associated with reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, and it is recommended that people replace unsaturated fats by eating polyunsaturated fats, mainly vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.
For example, an observational study showed that replacing saturated fats with olive oil reduced the risk of heart disease, and replacing butter, margarine, mayonnaise, or dairy fats with olive oil reduced the risk of heart disease by 5-7%.
The study's author, Harvard University research scientist Marta Gucci Ferrey, analyzed the health and diet of more than 100,000 people over the past 24 years and found that those who consumed more of various types of olive oil had a 15 percent lower risk of heart disease.
Olive oil is made by crushing olives and separating them from the pulp, and olive oil is considered to be the healthiest cooking oil. Olive oil's health benefits can be attributed in part to the monounsaturated fatty acids it contains, which contain vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and micronutrients extracted from plants. But it's not just that people add olive oil to their diets, it's that olive oil replaces other unhealthy fats.
The single unsaturated fatty acids and compounds found in olive oil help prevent noncommunicable diseases, not through any special mechanisms, but because our bodies really need them. Olive oil is synonymous with the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables and legumes, as well as low in saturated fat, which, although higher in fat, is strongly associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
Some studies have shown that extra virgin olive oil is most beneficial to human health.
However, some studies have shown that these health benefits may be contributed in part to other ingredients in the diet, rather than solely olive oil. Unlike the Mediterranean diet, the only benefit of olive oil is that it raises levels of good cholesterol HDL.
The researchers reviewed and analyzed 30 studies that tested the function of olive oil by changing participants' diets and found that the Mediterranean diet led to lower blood sugar levels and elevated LDL levels compared to Western diets, and the addition of polyphenol-rich olive oil to the diet would further increase the content of HDL.
However, the Mediterranean diet with olive oil improves blood sugar levels, and if blood sugar is too high, it increases the risk of developing type II diabetes, and it also lowers triglycerides (a fat in the blood) and LDL cholesterol levels.
These studies have tested many types of olive oil, but some have shown that extra virgin olive oil is beneficial to human health, including the potential to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Extra virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, and researchers have found that it prevents LDL cholesterol production more than other types of olive oil, which are processed after the cooking oil is extracted, causing them to lose some of their nutrients.
However, extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point, which means that it can start to smoke at lower temperatures, and in recent years, there have been concerns that continuous heating of extra virgin olive oil will release harmful compounds and, due to its low smoke point, will lose some nutrients during heating.
Extra virgin olive oil has the best nutrient content when not adequately heated, but is high in monosaturated fatty acids even when not heated. Recent studies have shown that extra virgin olive oil is very safe for cooking, and researchers have conducted a series of experiments to monitor the heating of extra virgin olive oil in a pan for different times, reaching 120 degrees Celsius and 170 degrees Celsius, respectively, and they found that temperature will have a certain impact on the polyphenol content in olive oil, which has nothing to do with heating time.
In 2011, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that olive oil could reduce oxidative stress — an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body — and protect cellular LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage, which can lead to cellular aging. The researchers found that extra virgin olive oil for cooking still met the guidelines in the health claim.
Olive oil does not have any unique properties other than being generally believed to be rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, but one thing is clear that there is evidence that the use of olive oil and other vegetable oils can replace saturated fats, but there is still a need to limit human edible oil intake as a whole.
The message of the study is not to consume a lot of cooking oil because it is good for the human body, because it will increase calories. Once we convert saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids, we can choose the cooking oil we prefer. (Ye Qingcheng)