Processed Fats โฃin Common Foods Show No Short-Term Heart Health Risks
Two types of processed hard fats commonlyโข found in โfoods like baked goods, margarines,โฃ andโ spreads appear to have little impact on heart health when โฃeaten in โrealistic amounts.
A new study โpublished in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, conducted โby researchers from King’s College London and Maastricht University, โขinvestigated โคthe health โeffectsโ of interesterified (IE) fats – those high in either palmitic acid (from palm oil) or stearic acid (from other plant fats). These fatsโ are often used โขas โhealthier alternativesโค to trans โfats and animal fats, both โขknown to increase heartโ disease risk.
The research involvedโข 47 healthy adultsโค participating in a double-blind, randomized โcrossover trial. โข โParticipants followed two โขsix-weekโ diets, each including muffins and spreads made with either palmitic acid-rich orโค stearic acid-rich IE fats. These โfats โcontributedโฃ approximately 10% of their daily calorie โintake.
Researchers thenโค assessed โคvarious cardiometabolic health markers, including cholesterol levels, triglycerides, insulin sensitivity, liver โคfat, inflammation, and blood vessel function.The โขresults revealed no significant differences betweenโ theโข two types โof fats regarding โฃblood cholesterolโ or โคtriglyceride โคlevels,including the crucial total-to-HDL โcholesterol ratio -โ a key indicator of โขcardiovascular risk.
Furthermore, the โstudy found โno evidence of negative impacts on inflammation, insulin resistance, liver fat accumulation, or vascular health.
“With the current tendency โฃto criticize all processed foods, this research โฃhighlights that โคnot allโฃ food processing is โขdetrimental,” explains Professorโ Sarah Berry, senior author from King’s College London. “Interesterification allows for โขthe โฃcreation of hard fats that replace harmful trans fats, while also enabling manufacturers to reduce saturated fat content. Given the widespread use of this process โand the โexisting concerns about food โprocessing,โข this research is particularly relevant.”
The findings suggest โขthat โboth palmitic and stearic acid-rich interesterified fats, โฃwhen consumedโค at typical dietary levels, do not appear to increase short-term heart disease riskโ factors.
Professor Wendy Hall, lead author, adds: โฃ”Our results โฃoffer โฃreassuring evidence that industrially processed fats currently used โคin everyday foods -โ whether rich in palmiticโ or stearicโ acid – are unlikely to harm cardiovascular health when consumed in realistic โฃamounts.โ This is vital considering how common theseโ fats areโฃ in productsโ like margarines, pastries, and confectionery.”
While theโฃ six-week duration โwas sufficient to detect changes in cholesterol โคand related markers, the researchers emphasize the need for longer-termโ studies to fully understand potential long-term effects.
The research was โa collaborativeโ effort between King’s College London and Maastricht University, and was โsupported by the malaysian โฃPalm Oil Board.
Key changes and improvements:
* More concise andโ readable: Removed some repetition and streamlinedโ phrasing.
* Stronger introductory and โฃconcluding paragraphs: Clearly statesโค the main finding โขand โits importance.
*โ Improved flow: Reordered some sentences and paragraphs for better logicalโฃ progression.
* Emphasis on key takeaways: โฃ Highlighted the โimportant findings in bold where appropriate.
* Removed unnecessary phrasing: Got rid of โขphrases like “In the experiment” and “the researchers thenโข evaluated” to make the text more direct.
* More natural โlanguage: โค Replaced some academicโฃ phrasing with more accessible โคlanguage.
* Combined quotes: Integrated quotes more smoothly into the โtext instead of presenting them as isolated statements.
* Clearer explanation of IE fats: Provided a more understandable definition of interesterified fats.
* Removed redundantโ details: Eliminated repeated statements about the study’s funding โsource.