Health and Nutrition: Which Cooking Oil is Best for Health?

 Health and Nutrition: Which Cooking Oil is Best for Health?

All types of cooking oil are rich in fat and calories, but their chemical composition and effects on us can vary. Cooking oils are a staple in any kitchen but there are conflicting claims about which of these oils is best for our health.

From coconut to olive, vegetable, canola, safflower, and pear oils, a variety of oils are available on any grocery store shelf. But how do we decide which oils we should use and which oils we should avoid altogether?

Cooking oils used for cooking are usually named after the seeds, fruits, plants or grains from which they are distilled or prepared. They are then classified according to their fat content.

In recent years, coconut oil, which is 90 percent saturated fat, has been increasingly used as a superfood. Coconut oil is highly praised as the best nutritional oil and also because this oil is less likely to be stored as fat in the human body.

It is also said that the consumption of coconut oil is more likely to be wasted as energy in the human body, but an epidemiologist at Harvard University calls it (coconut oil) a 'pure poison'.

Also read this

What are the hidden harms in cooking food?

Coconut oil is just as unhealthy as fat

Sandhe Oil: 'Guarantee of Self' or just illusion

Is Uzbek food really a 'death knell'?

According to UK health guidelines, consuming too much saturated fat can raise cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart attack. High intake means consuming more than 20 grams of oil per day for women and more than 30 grams per day for men.

All fat molecules are made up of chains of fatty acid chains linked either by single bonds or by double bonds. 

Short- and medium-chain fatty acids are easily absorbed into the blood and used as energy, but long-chain fatty acids are transported to the liver and increase blood cholesterol levels.

Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA.

 laboratory-level research to support the initial claims."

A limited number of tests, comparing this oil with other types, found that coconut oil increases the amount of bad cholesterol, called LDL (density lipoprotein), which is directly linked to heart disease and heart attacks.

But it increases the good cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein), which sweeps LDL out of the bloodstream.

Lauric acid is said to increase the amount of HDL in the blood more than LDL.

Experts say that oils low in saturated fat, which are high in other types of fat, are good for health when consumed in moderation.

Taylor Wallace, a professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences and Food Studies at George Mason University in the US state of Virginia, says that contrary to the claims of other experts, lauric acid is not healthy for the body. It is classified as a 'C12', which means it has 12 carbon atoms and this amount puts it in the middle range of fatty acids.

C-12 fatty acids are long-chain, which puts them closer to the medium-chain classification, says Wallace. 70% of C12 acts as long-chain fatty acids, which are sent to the liver.'

Longer chain fatty acids mean the fat is more likely to accumulate in the liver, causing similar health problems as unsaturated fats.

 Many polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 and omega-6, and monounsaturated have been shown to lower cholesterol and produce essential fatty acids and vitamins.

They are found in a variety of vegetable oils, but the amount they contain depends on the health of the plant and the method by which the oil is extracted.

 It is recommended that we replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated, vegetable and nut and seed oils.

For example, a research report on using olive oil in place of saturated oil is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Substituting olive oil for butter, margarine, mayonnaise or animal fat reduces the risk by five to seven percent.

Marta Ghoshfer, a researcher with the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and author of the Health and Diet Relationship, analyzed the records of over 100,000 people over the past 24 years and found that those who consumed the highest amount of any type of olive oil had a 15 percent lower risk of heart disease.

Olive oil, which is extracted from the olive pulp, is now recognized as the healthiest of all vegetable oils.

The benefits of olive oil can be attributed to the fact that it is a monounsaturated oil that contains minerals and vitamins and many plant-derived nutrients.

"It's not just adding olive oil to the diet, it's replacing other unhealthy elements," Goshfer says.

Olive oil, which is extracted by crushing olives and separating their pulp, is now recognized as the healthiest of all vegetable oils. may also help prevent cancer and type 2 diabetes.