Fats & Oils: Your grandfather's diet may not be right for you

Overflowing with diabetic and obese patients, it is often difficult for doctors to give advice on a single food. For example, often we do not give any specific diktat on edible oils.

Sometimes, when patients leave the clinic, simple advice: "Do not take fried food". This does not mean putting a lot of butter on bread, or a lot of butter clarified with daal or on rotis, patients think happily. They rationalize – how much damage can this "small" amount do? And then there is this anecdotal evidence. "My grandfather took every day 100 grams of clarified butter and butter and lived up to 95 years!" I explain to them that longevity is a function of a balanced lifestyle whose diet is one of the important elements. "Your grandfather had to walk 10 to 15 km a day and ate a lot of vegetables, fruits and fiber foods. But if you get the type of fat that it has consumed, your current lifestyle, characterized by reduced physical activity and an uncontrolled diet, will burst and burn your liver and heart very quickly. "

The quantity and quality of the cooking oil are important. There is less controversy about the amount of oil consumed (including cooking) daily – it should be about 3 to 4 teaspoons. An oil-free diet will have long-term detrimental effects because the body needs essential fatty acids in the oils. And, beware, even if a particular diet is touted as "zero cholesterol," there is a good chance that it contains more toxic ingredients.

Researchers and scientists have differing views about quality, but some scientific facts have emerged over the past three decades. Remarkable studies done by my colleagues at AIIMS, especially in the United States in the 1980s, showed that a component of fats, monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid), was very effective in reducing blood lipids and drugs in diabetic patients. Although this type of fat is abundant in olive and canola oils, we have used similar mustard oil for centuries (the other rich sources are avocados, pistachios, walnuts, almonds and sesame ).

The amazing success of "Mediterranean diets" in the improvement of almost all health parameters, besides improving the condition of diabetics, preventing heart disease and increasing the life span , could be due to the daily use of olive oils, among other healthy foods (nuts rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, etc.); vegetables, etc.).

The second type of "good" fat consists of polyunsaturated fats (an example is omega-3 fatty acid, present at rich levels in fish). The consumption of this type of fat faces two obstacles: the fish is often not available and can be contaminated (for example with mercury) and many Indians do not eat fish. In general, the levels of these fats in the blood of Indians are low, which has a negative impact on blood fat levels and heart health. Unfortunately, the vegetarian sources of these good fats are few (nuts, mustard oil, soy, sesame, peanuts, canola oil, linseed, chia seeds) and contain relatively less.

The risk of arterial blockage and heart attack could be extremely high due to the ingestion of saturated fats although some recent reviews vary. Palmitic acid (rich in palm oil and dairy ghei) is a particularly harmful component of saturated fats, which could also increase the growth of cancer cells in addition to an increased risk of heart attacks. It is interesting to note that even a complete meal containing saturated fats can cause an explosive breakdown of the fats deposited in the arteries (rupture of the plate), blocking the precious blood towards the brain, the heart or any other place of the body in a few seconds. Unfortunately, and contrary to our traditional belief ("ghee is good for strength and the heart and lubricates the joints") and our emotional attachment to it, the milk ghee (different from vanaspati ghee, which is a partially vegetable oil hydrogenated dairy-based products) and coconut oil are filled with saturated fats (60-80%) and palmitic acid. The solid scientific studies on ghee are few but show that a daily intake of 1 to 2 teaspoonful increases the risk of heart attack by more than 10 times.

Similarly, coconut oil has been found to increase bad blood cholesterol (LDL, the main determinant of blood artery blockages) in six of the seven quality studies performed to date. It seems that many people do not believe that coconut oil has harmful effects on the body, relying mainly on small and poorly executed studies, which have little scientific validity.

Finally, the bhujias and crisps widely available in India are made from palm oil saturated with fat. Interestingly, many similar snacks (made by the same multinationals) sold in the US are made with healthier oils!

Trans fatty acids, which are abundant in vegetable ghee (vanaspati and many similar oils available in India), contribute to increasing heart and liver risks for saturated fats. A high amount of trans fatty acids (about 30 to 40% in some oils) is harmful to the heart, liver, pancreas and blood arteries.

Interestingly enough, our research shows that if you fry / heat and heat foods at high temperatures, trans fatty acid levels gradually increase from 100 to 200%. These cooking practices are common in Indian households and are consistently adopted by street vendors and most food establishments.

So, how do you stay healthy? Your eyes should be opened and scanned (by consulting nutrition labels to know the amount of saturated fats, palm oil and trans fats), you need to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables and taste to limited amounts of healthy oils used in rotation and in combination. You should also try not to reuse and reheat the oil. In the polluted atmosphere in which we live, you certainly deserve a less poison.

– With Dr. Seema Gulati (Center for Research on Nutrition and Metabolism, National Diabetes Foundation, Obesity and Cholesterol, New Delhi)