Fat Facts

Hindustan Times, Patna Aug 13, 2007

Fat Facts

By Sanchita Sharma

All fats and edible oils are not bad for health.

While bad fats raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes,

good fats protect against them.

MOST BRANDS of edible oil claim to be more healthy than the other; leaving even informed consumers confused. Reams have been written about a healthy oil being one that has no trans fatty acids, is low in saturated fatty acids, high in monounsaturated fatty acids and also has some amount of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. But what does all this jargon mean ?

All experts say that olive oil is the healthiest oil and people obviously know: its consumption in the metros has been skyrocketing. In 2006-07, India imported about 1,500 tonnes of olive oil, of which half was for consumption and the other half for industrial use in sectors such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. But with a one litre bottle of Pomace olive oil -- the cheapest priced at Rs. 400 -- Pure Olive Oil (Rs 550) and Extra Virgin costing Rs 600 (prices for imported Leonardo brand), some people want options that are cheaper yet healthy.

"Among the best oils are olive oil, mustard oil, til (sesame) oil, rapeseed, canola and rice bran oil," says Dr. R.R. Kasliwal, senior consultant cardiology, Apollo Hospital. Canola oil imported from Canada is widely available and priced at Rs 260 ( Hudson Canola Oil) a litre.

"Other vegetable oils such as corn, soya bean and groundnut are also good, but one must remember that refining and de-odouring spoil the oil. Refined oils should be avoided," says Kasliwal. Refining involves heating the oil to a temperature higher than 200 degrees Celsius, which not only destroys the vitamins but also produces cell destroying oxidants and trans fatty acids.

"Trans fatty acids found in refined oils and vanaspati are worse than cholesterol in terms of their impact on cardiovascular health," says Ishi Khosla, nutritionist, Whole Foods. Trans fatty acids are widely used in the food processing industry as they retain the flavour of the food. The US Food and Drug Administration has made it mandatory for all packaged food to carry a health warning listing the amount of trans fatty acid used in their products.

It’s easy to avoid the worst oils; stay away from any oil that solidifies at room temperature. "Hydrogenated oils such as vanaspati should be avoided and the oils we recommends are a mixture of mustard and olive, or mustard and corn oil," says Khosla.

The National Institute of Nutrition has done extensive studies on the subject and concluded the best combination is mustard and til oils in a ratio of 3:1 (three parts mustard, one part till oil).
Rice bran oil is another good choice as it is also rich in the Vitamin E group anti-oxidants as tocopherol, oryzanol and tocotrienol, all of which fight cancer. A study from Japan in the Journal of Nutrition reported that it even lowers cholesterol better than olive oil.

Essential fatty acids come from the omega-3 and omega-6 families, and play a role in our body’s inflammatory response. Omega-6 fatty acids is found abundantly in our diet (dairy, meats, poultry, corn and sunflower oils), but omega-3 fatty acids is found in good amounts in fish and nuts such and walnut.

"Mustard and olive oils are good vegetable sources of omega 3 fatty acids, so they must be included in the diet. In fact, I ask all my patients to keep changing their cooking oil every three mouths or use a combination of three to four oils to get the health benefits of all of them." Says Kasliwal.

Trans fats FAQs

Trans fats are formed from a chemical process known as ‘partial hydrogenation’ used to convert liquid oils to a semi solid form. The body is unable to break down trans fatty acids, causing them to accumulate in the body.

Where are they found?

Food companies have tended to opt for trans fats because they increase the shelf life of products. Trans fats are manufactured from less expensive oils, which keeps the cost of production down.
Trans fats are found in commercially packaged goods, commercially fried food such as French Fries from some fast food chains, other packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn as well as in vanaspati and some margarine.

What should consumers watch out for?

Any packaged food with a label with the words ‘partially hydrogentate vegetable oils’, hydrogentated vegetable oils’, or ‘vegetable shortening’ contains trans fats.
What is the health impact of consuming trans fats?
While saturated fats -- found in butter, cheese, red meat and coconut and palm oil -- raise cholesterol levels, trans fats also increase artery clogging low density lipoprotein (LDL or bad cholesterol) and lower heart protecting high desnity lipoprotein (HDL or good cholesterol). Some studies have found that a diet high in trans fatty acids increases diabetes risk.

What is the labeling requirement in India?

It is not mandatory to clearly list the ‘trans fats’ in packaged food labels. Companies substitute trans fats with ‘partially hydrogentated vegetable oils’, ‘hydrogenated vegetable oils’, or ‘vegetable shortening’.

How much trans fats is safe?

You should target to completely exclude trans fats from the diet. Begin by minimising intake by checking food labels. From Sep 1, 07, the amount of trans fats per serving of food will have to be listed on the food labels of all products manufactured in India.

Types of fat in different oils
Oils Saturated Mono Poly Trans
Unsaturated unsaturated
Olive 13 72 8 0
Mustard 7 58 29 0
Safflower 9 12 74 0
Soya bean 16 44 37 0
Peanut 17 49 32 0
Palm 50 37 10 0
Coconut 87 6 2 0
Dalda 39 44 11 1
Butter 60 26 5 5
Shortening 22 2 29 18