The main advice of nutritionists of the last 50 years is to replace lard and butter with vegetable fats. The reason is the absence of cholesterol in their composition, which is harmful to the health of the cardiovascular system. At the same time, traditionally, vegetable oil almost always meant sunflower oil.
In the past 20 years, doctors have adjusted their position. Due to its high omega-6 content, sunflower oil can also harm the metabolism – not to mention the possible content of trans fats. What vegetable oil is considered the best?
What is vegetable oil?
Vegetable oil is a product derived from vegetable raw materials and contains triglycerides (fatty acids). In contrast, butter and lard are animal fats, but they also contain fatty acids.
The benefits and harms of a particular vegetable oil are determined by the type of triglycerides contained in it – in particular, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition, there are special classes of polyunsaturated fatty acids – for example, omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9.
From a practical point of view, the role is played by the fact that there is no cholesterol in the composition of vegetable oils (this substance is produced only in the body of people and animals). Despite this, the use of coconut, palm, and rice oils can lead to an increase in blood cholesterol levels.
How is it made?
The mechanics of the production of vegetable oils is based on extraction – this is how sunflower, olive, palm, and other oils are made. If the extraction was carried out without heating to high temperatures and without chemical treatment, the oil is considered unrefined.
In turn, refined vegetable oil undergoes additional processes of filtration, bleaching, and deodorization. Although this changes the physical characteristics (eliminates odor, changes color, improves temperature stability), the composition of the fatty acids contained in the oil does not change.
Benefits and harm to the body
Research suggests that eating vegetable oils with unsaturated fatty acids helps lower blood cholesterol levels – implying that the product is used in place of animal fats. We are talking about sunflower, olive, rapeseed, corn, and soybean oils.
Coconut, palm, and rice contain predominantly saturated fats – an analog of ordinary animals in terms of their effect on cholesterol.
As for vitamins, vegetable oils contain exclusively fat-soluble vitamins A, E, and K – in different proportions, but in small quantities. The calorie content of the oils is the same – 9 kcal per 1 g – none of them can be considered more dietary than the other.
Trans fats in vegetable oil
Trans fats are altered fat molecules that appear in vegetable oils as a result of repeated heat treatment. Their share in natural products is 0.5-1%, rising to 20-30% in the case of repeated frying in the same oil.
The consumption of trans fats is harmful to the metabolism and is associated with numerous health risks – especially against the background of existing diseases of the cardiovascular system. The legislation of a number of countries obliges the manufacturer to indicate the content of trans fats on the packaging.
Refined oil
Note that trans fats are formed in any vegetable oils (and foods based on them – for example, in margarine). The role is played not by the type of feedstock (sunflower, olives, or soybeans), but by how many times and to what temperatures the oil was heated – both during the cooking process and during the manufacturing process.
Because refined oils are made by heating them to high temperatures, they can be higher in trans fats – more so after each frying or microwaving. The most dangerous are soybean and corn oil.
However, in fact, we are talking about the dangers of excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods – and not specific vegetable oils.
The harm of omega-6 fats
Any types of sunflower, soybean, and corn oils (both refined and unrefined) are 60-80% omega-6. Although this substance is not harmful to health by itself, its excess in the daily diet upsets the balance of metabolism – increasing the need for omega-3.
The consequences of imbalance are micro-inflammation in the body and disruption of cell regeneration processes. The situation is exacerbated if a person does not consume salmon, salmon, fish oil, or other sources of omega-3. Note that the lack of omega-3 in the diet is a fairly typical problem.
Olive oil
Olive oil consists predominantly of omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acids, which are neutral for health and do not affect the balance of omega-6 and omega-3. Canola oil has a similar composition – before it goes on sale, it is usually refined, allowing frying without smell.
On the other hand, adding a small amount of olive oil to vegetable oil does not fundamentally change the situation. Unfortunately, the content of olive oil in such mixtures is usually no more than 5-10% – in other words, this is ordinary sunflower or corn oil.
Vegetable oil is a product derived from vegetable raw materials and contains triglycerides. The main types are sunflower, olive, soybean, corn, rapeseed, palm, and coconut. The most useful is olive cold-pressed.