Cooking oil is one of the basic ingredients in cooking. It is extracted and refined from plants, animals, or synthetic fat. In cooking, oil functions as a heat transfer medium and contributes to flavor and texture. Cooking oil enhances savoury flavour and adds the calories content of the food. There are a wide variety of cooking oils used from plant sources such as coconut, palm, fruit, nuts, as well as grains and seeds (corn, soybean, etc).   

Olive oil, fish oil, sunflower seed oil, and palm oil are oils that are often used in food. Fish oil is known for its omega-3 fatty acids content that is good for health. It may help to prevent coronary artery disease and blood vessel blockage, as well as reduce triglyceride levels in the blood. Sunflower seed oil is also known to be very good for health because its Vitamins A & E and Omega-6 content may lower cholesterol level and maintain skin health.

Both types of oils mentioned above are considered as good for health. Having said that, recent studies reveal that long-term consumption of fish oil or sunflower seed oil may be harmful to health, especially for the liver. An in vivo study published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry demonstrated that long-term consumption of those types of oils makes the liver susceptible to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which may further cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

NASH, which causes inflammation and cell damage of the liver (not caused by alcohol abuse), may lead to increased risk of cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Some of the risk factors of NASH include obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol—all highly influenced by food.

In the study, three groups of rats received different treatments. Group one was fed with virgin olive oil; group two with sunflower seed oil; and group three fish oil. The results showed that rats fed with fish oil and sunflower seed oil had a higher risk of liver cell damage than rats fed with virgin olive oil. The researchers concluded that virgin olive oil is the healthiest option. Further studies are required to determine the effects of both oils, however, there is nothing wrong for us to start using olive oil more.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay.com

Source(s):

• Varela, A. L., Perez, M. P. L., Ramirez, C. L. R. et al (2018). Gene pathways associated with mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and telomere length are differentially expressed in the liver of rats fed lifelong on virgin olive, sunflower or fish oils. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry (52)36-44 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2017.09.007