Cooking oil can be a health hazard. Eating french fries and onions cooked in reused oil is not a good idea, according to a new study. Indeed, this research found higher levels of neurodegeneration in rats that consumed reused frying oil as well as in their offspring.
According to scientists, the increase in neurodegeneration is linked to the oil’s effects on the communication network between the liver, gut and brain. “The liver-gut-brain axis plays a critical role in the regulation of various physiological functions. Its dysregulation is associated with neurological disorders“, underlines the study press release.
Harmful compounds
“High-temperature frying has been associated with metabolic disorders but no long-term studies have been conducted on the influence of fried oil consumption and its adverse health effects.“, explained Kathiresan Shanmugam, who led the study. And added: “To our knowledge, we are the first to report that long-term supplementation with sesame oil increases neurodegeneration in offspring.“
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While it is common to reuse the same frying oil, this habit leads to the removal of many of the natural antioxidants present in the oil. The latter may also contain harmful ingredients such as acrylamide, trans fatty acids, peroxides (a chemical compound).
A link with Alzheimer’s?
To reach this conclusion, the researchers conducted several experiments on female rats. Some rats were fed standard tea alone with unheated sesame oil, unheated sunflower oil, reheated sesame oil, or reheated sunflower oil for 30 days.
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The results? Rats that consumed hot sesame or sunflower oil had increased oxidative stress and liver inflammation. These mice also showed significant intestinal damage. With further studies, researchers want to identify the effects of fried oil on the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
