In an ever-evolving world of research and technological advancement, one cannot claim to have a consummate knowledge of any specific area let alone to understand the response of the human body to the complex diet.
Almost everything we consume is processed right from cereals to pulses, meat and its products, milk products etc., etc., etc. And of course, we have fats and oils all processed. Of late fats and oil has emerged as the victorious villain. Fats and oils have been totally disregarded and unwanted in today’s Google health-conscious world.
Its bad name has surfaced from the ocean of research papers that has conclusive evidences rather than definitive. Let’s get this straight, a diet without fat is definitely an unbalanced one. Fats and oils are an essential component of the food guide pyramid.
Fats and oils not only aid in the absorption of several nutrients, but also are backbones of hormones and enzymes essential for the biochemical and physiological functions. Hence degrading the reputation of fats is unwarranted.
With the technological advancements and big investments on research on various oils in different countries of the world, the fact is one cannot deny when production of a certain oil is flourishing, by all means one wants to market it without any flaws and huge investments are being made on advertising, tie ups to avail the profits at any cost.
Hence many oils which were never used in a particular region is now available at every nook and corner of the country.
India is the second largest importer of edible oils in the world!!! From time immemorial mustard oil has been used in the northern and eastern parts of India.
Some pockets in the south and in the west of the country prefers groundnut oil, several pockets in the south prefers coconut oil and sesame oil.
Technology has again improvised the not so popular oils by rendering them colourless and odourless.
Attempts were also made to blend various oils for hydrogenation as this would make vanaspati which is an affordable supplement for desi ghee and increase the shelf life of the products made from these oils.
Now, the big question is there’s too much of information right there, available right away on the touch of a finger, which oil is really good??
Fact Checking: Mustard Oil: A favourite amongst the North and Eastern Indians, it is an age-old oil.
Mustard oil, Rapeseed oil and Canola oil(imported from Canada) all belong to the same Brassica family. Indian cooking requires high temperatures hence mustard oil is one of the favourable oils also it has a distinctive pungent flavour and odour, although refined version of the oil is also available.
Mustard Oil has the highest percentage of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). Mustard oil contains two MUFA’s, Oleic and erucic acid. It contains 21.4% linoleic (an omega- 3 fatty acid). It contains a good ratio of linoleic and alpha linolenic acid.
So it simply means that research has time and again proven that a good ratio of linoleic to linolenic acid is cardioprotective. Research has also established that mustard oil increases the HDL-C(high density lipoprotein cholesterol) which is a good cholesterol.
Olive Oil: Strong marketing and the popularity of the Mediterranean diet has made olive oil the worlds favourite oil. But since Indian cooking requires high temperatures and there is very little awareness on the varieties of olive oil available, it could not appeal the general population.
Olive oil is rich antioxidant and polyphenol making it cancer and cardioprotective. It is a personal favourite of the health-conscious section.
Sunflower oil: It is one of the most popular cash crops mainly due to an increase content of poly unsaturated fatty acids. It has the lowest percentage of Saturated fatty acids compared to all other oils.
It contains Vitamin E and phytosterols but more research needs to be done on finding out if it has a cardioprotective effect as conclusions were made that it does reduce LDL-C a bad cholesterol but no definitive results suggest that it increases the HDL-C a good cholesterol.
Soyabean Oil: India is the highest importer of soyabean oil. The oil is colourless and odourless hence managed to find a place in the Indian kitchens. Undoubtedly it has cardioprotective components.
A good ratio of linoleic to linolenic acid, vitamin E and its capability to reduce LDL-C, total Cholesterol and increase the HDL-C makes it a good oil to go to. Palm Oil: Palm oil is very popular for industrial use. It is semi solid at room temperature.
The liquid part of this oil is palm olein it is clear in room temperature.
The solid fraction of it is solid at room temperature and is called as palm stearin. This oil contains almost half saturated fats (47%) and half unsaturated fats. The reddish crude oil is rich in carotenoids and Vitamin E and research has suggested that it is cancer protective.
However, palm oil today is mostly sold refined hence physically refined oils do not contain any carotenoids. Palm oil is very popular in the food industry as it has a long shelf life and it is very easy to work with it.
It is a replacement to trans fats and of course it can be technologically improvised in many ways to render it suitable for the industrial purposes.
Research findings suggest that it not only increases the total cholesterol levels but also reduces the good cholesterol (HDL-C). Some researchers have also linked palm oil to increased cardiac risk it also contains cyanogenic glycosides and phytates (carcinogenic in nature).
Lakyntiew Pariat,
Head, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics
St Mary’s College, Shillong
