There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about which oils are good for your body and which ones are bad. For instance, The American Heart Association states that the saturated fats in coconut oil make it bad for your heart, but there are a number of other organizations that proclaim coconut oil is healthy for you. It can be very confusing trying to figure out what the truth really is.
Before you get bogged down with too much information, Let’s look at a few facts about the different types of fat. The term “oil,” in relation to cooking, is just another way of saying “liquid fat.” For a while, fat was only thought of in a negative light. The word fat still has a stigma attached to it. However, recent studies are showing that some forms are not completely bad for you.
In fact, some fats are beneficial to your health. If you’ve been paying attention lately, then you probably already know all about the good polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3s and omega-6s. You may also be aware of how healthy monounsaturated fats are.
One the other hand, all the attention trans fats and saturated fats have been getting lately has probably steered you away from foods in these categories — and with good reason. In a number of studies, saturated fats have been proven to increase the risk of heart disease.
For instance, an animal study conducted in 1994 proved that diets high in saturated fats from coconut oil increased the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, while diets high in corn oil and fish oil reduced the risk of this heart problem occurring.
Saturated fats are actually known to increase the production of heart-damaging low-density lipoprotein cholesterol inside the body. As well, this type of fat has also been linked to increases in blood pressure as well.
One study found that by reducing your saturated fat intake and increasing monounsaturated fat (think avocados) intake instead, you could significantly reduce your diastolic blood pressure. However, diets high in total fat negated the positive effects of the monounsaturated fats. This means that choosing the right type of fat and not going overboard with it is the key to controlling your blood pressure.
In short, this means that saturated fats and trans fats can increase your blood pressure and bad cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease. It’s best to stick with olive and canola oils when you are cooking. Also, remember that olive oil should only be used at low temperatures.
For deep-frying, stir-frying, or other purposes, use a refined form of canola oil. For salads and as a dip (any time there’s no cooking involved), you can choose flax, avocado, or nut oils, which are rich in monounsaturated fats and are good for your heart.
Steer clear of trans-fatty acids such as those found in hydrogenated margarine and saturated oils from butter, palm oil, kernel oil, and coconut oil. With these distinctions in mind, you should be able to choose the right fats for your heart.
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Tags: Cholesterol, Diets, heart disease
