We’ve long been advised to lower our intake of Saturated Fats and up our consumption of Unsaturated Fats to help lower our risk of heart disease and other scourges of 21st Century Humanity. But, until now, the jury has been out on which Unsaturated Fats are best…
Canola Oil: My Choice for most day-to-day applications is among
the top Oils named in the Schwingshackl study…
Various studies have shown that Peanut Oil, Soy Bean Oil, Sunflower Oil, Olive Oil and a wide range of Unsaturated Fats can be helpful in reducing our risk of Cholesterol-related diseases. But just which Unsaturated Fats are the best?
A new survey of study results going back almost four decades has shed some light on that previously unresolved question.
What they did…
In a paper published in the Journal of Lipid Research this month, Lukas Schwingshackl, a researcher at the German Institute of Human Nutrition, and his colleagues used an emerging technique called network meta-analysis to extract insight from published studies on the effect of various dietary Oils on blood lipids.
Network meta-analysis is a data mining technique designed to take in and compare results from many studies and identify commonalities among them. Schwingshackl and his team fed-in the results of 55 studies going back to 1980, comparing levels of any two or more of 13 different Oils in participants’ blood. The meta-analysis technique can actually compare results for various Oils and Fats even if they never actually faced-off against each other in the same source survey, creating a common baseline against which to rank all the Oils and Fats under scrutiny.
What they found…
Schwingshackl’s team discovered that, among the 13 Unsaturated Fats for which they mined the data, Seed Oils took top prize in the healthiness sweepstakes.
“Sunflower Oil, [Canola] Oil, Safflower Oil and Flaxseed Oil performed best,” said Schwingshackl. “Some people from Mediterranean countries probably are not so happy with this result, because they would prefer to see olive oil at the top. But this is not the case.”
My take…
We must remember that, as wholesome and flavourful as Olive Oil is, the oil actually comes from the flesh of the Olive, not the pit, which is the actual seed. So, a close second isn’t as bad as all that. I certainly don’t disqualify Olive Oil from the ranks of the better, healthier dietary Oils. In fact, I will go even further and point out that Olive is a cornerstone of the now famous Mediterranean Diet, which is constantly being touted in study after study as the best eating regimen to help preserve heart health and maintain a healthy weight.
One thing I have against Olive Oil is, a lot of what we get here in North America that’s labelled ‘Olive Oil’ is not real Olive Oil. But that’s another story for another day.
One thing I have against the Oils that came out on top in the Schwingshakl study is that many of them are among the most expensive cooking Oils. I, for one, can’t afford to use them on a daily basis. The only way they will come down in price is if more farmers grow the plants they come from and more Oil refiners kick up production of them significantly. And that’s not likely, especially in the shadow of the looming world food crisis, where secure supplies of nutritious basics is the crucial goal of our global food production sector.
In a broader context, I find I am continually re-evaluating my food purchasing choices based on what’s a necessity and versus a treat or a luxury. When my food budget starts to get thin, I cut some more luxuries.
On my kitchen counter…
I always have three Oils: Canola (general purpose), Corn (baking and Asian cooking) and Olive Oil (Salads, Mayo, Mediterranean cooking). They give me all the variety I need to suit any occasion where Oil is called for. And I will admit that I keep a small bottle of Sesame Seed Oil in the fridge, to add authentic flavour and aroma to Asian dishes. There’s simply no substitute for it…
~ Maggie J.