The Use of Oil in the Frying of Food

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The Use of Oil in the Frying of Foods

JoAnn Guest

Aug 29, 2006 09:48 PDT

 

 

 

The frying of food in refined oils, shortening or lard also has

detrimental effects. Studies have shown that heated oils and fats

undergo autoxidation and that the rate of autoxidation is

proportional to the degree of unsaturation and the presence of

absence of pro- and anti-oxidants.

 

It has been established that animal fats undergo *autoxidation* more

readily than oils of plant origin,

in spite of the fact that animal fats are saturated fats, but this

has been attributed to the virtual absence of " natural antioxidants "

in animal fats.

 

Polyunsaturates, however, sustain the most thermo-oxidative damage

when oil is heated. In this regard it is enlightening that a tri-

unsaturated fatty acid will undergo autoxidation 10 000 times more

readily than a monounsaturated fatty acid.[iv]

 

The rate and degree of autoxidation of unsaturated and saturated

fats - Source: Grundy, S.M. 1989. Monounsaturated fatty acids and

cholesterol

metabolism: Implications for dietary recommendations. J. Nutr.

119:529

 

 

Heat Damage Sustained By Oil

 

 

The products formed in fats and oils that are heated to high

temperatures are peroxides, aldehydes, ketones, hydroperoxides,

polymers and cyclic monomers,

 

any one of which can have toxic effects.

 

Subjecting saturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as butter and

sunflower oil to temperatures of 170 °C for two hours will also

alter the composition so that if fed to experimental animals they

will induce liver ailments in these animals.

 

If animal fats and polyunsaturated oils are heated to 180 °C for

longer periods of time, serious liver disorders are induced in

experimental animals that are fed these oils.

 

[v] The peroxidised fatty acids in heated fats also affect the

cardiovascular system, possibly even causing 'lesions' in the

cardiac

muscles and arterial lining as well as enhancing clot formation

(thrombosis).[vi]

 

As most processed oils are heated to 220 °C during the manufacturing

process, and are still further heated during the frying process, the

use of free oil should for these reasons alone, not be encouraged.

 

The frying of food should therefore be avoided if healthful living

practices are introduced into the household.

 

This does not necessarily mean that taste should be sacrificed, but

it does mean that age-old habits will have to be revised and

substituted with a little bit of ingenuity.

 

If oil is used at all, it should be used in moderation and the

cold-pressed variety should be used as this have been least

subjected to

heat during the extraction and clarifying processes.

Also oils rich in monounsaturated fats, such as extra virgin olive

oil, should be the oils of choice as monounsaturated fats undergo

the least damage during heating.

 

Whilst it is true that increased dietary consumption of

polyunsaturated fats has led to a decrease in cholesterolaemia and

associated drop in cardiovascular disease, it has been accompanied

by a rise in *deaths*

from non-vascular diseases such as cancer,[vii] cholelithiasis[viii]

and

a general drop in life expectancy,[ix] probably resulting from the

" peroxidation " of the polyunsaturates.

 

Peroxidation of polyunsaturates takes place because these molecules

are unstable, and the more double bonds there are in the molecules

the more readily the process of peroxidation takes place.

 

During this process " free radicals " are formed which are extremely

reactive in view of their unpaired electron.

 

Free radical formation is largely prevented in whole foods, as

natural antixodants, which are present in these foods, prevent their

formation.

 

A natural balance exists between antioxidants such as the fat-

soluble vitamins A and E and the quantity of polyunsaturated fats

that are present in whole foods.

 

An imbalance between polyunsaturates and antioxidants will result in

a rise in free radical formation with concomitant harmful results

such as

an increase in the rate of the aging process,[x] inflammation,[xi]

carcinogenesis,[xii] liver disorders and arteriosclerosis.[xiii]

 

Unfortunately modern food processing techniques often strip food of

the essential fatty acids and vital prepacked antioxidants and in

this way deprive the system of these essential nutrients.

 

During the refining process grains, for example, are stripped of the

germ, which contains the essential oils and fat-soluble antioxidant

vitamins in a perfect biorelationship, and the lack is then

substituted for with large intakes of disproportionate combinations

of processed oils and fats.

 

In this regard it is enlightening to note that the daily vitamin E

requirements (which amount to about 10 mg per day) increases 20 fold

if polyunsaturates are added to the diet.[xiv]

 

It is doubtful whether any diet will supply this additional

requirement without supplementation, and it is therefore not

surprising that the

degenerate diseases are so prevalent in Western societies.

 

The eating of organic whole foods that have not been stripped of

their essential components will supply all the essential oils

required in healthful combinations and should therefore be

encouraged.

 

www.amazingdiet.org

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets