Your food choices can have a significant impact on your health. Choosing the right cooking oil is extremely important for a healthy heart. But which oil is best for your heart? Increasing number of doctors recommend using cold-pressed mustard oil for cooking to reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension and other related health issues. Leading Indian cardiologists have provided explanations as to what makes mustard oil the best choice.
Cold-pressed mustard oil is rich in Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA), Omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid which can decrease oxidative stress and inflammation, said eminent cardiologist and former President of the Indian Medical Association K.K. Aggarwal.
As COVID-19 is an inflammatory disease, it is important to eat anti-inflammatory foods like mustard oil, to stay healthy during the pandemic. “COVID-19 is a fatty virus and mustard oil is anti-obesity oil,” IANS quoted as saying Aggarwal during a webinar recently.
Dr Pragya Gupta, Senior Scientist and Director at Mustard Research Promotion Consortium (MRPC), the R&D wing of Puri Oil Mills Limited, also recommend using Kachi Ghani Mustard oil in its pure, natural, extra-virgin, cold-pressed form. Among a wide array of health benefits, this cooking oil can lower your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, he told the news agency.
Mustard oil has low amount of Saturated Fatty Acids and a high amount of Monounsaturated Fatty Acids and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, which make it healthier than other oils, said renowned cardiologist, Dr T.S. Kler, Chairman, Fortis Heart and Vascular Institute, Gurugram and Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj.
According to Kler, mustard oil contains alpha-linolenic acid that reduces the adhesion-aggregation tendency of blood platelets and decreases the risk of a heart attack.
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA), found in mustard oil, help in increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and decrease bad cholesterol (LDL), explained Dr Amrendra Kumar Pandey, Consultant, Cardiologist, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, New Delhi.
He added that consumption of mustard oil may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease as well as promote weight loss.
Studies prove health benefits of mustard oil
The benefits of mustard oil have been proven in several clinical studies. Allyl Isothiocyanate (AITC), a phytochemical compound found in mustard oil, has strong anti-inflammatory effects. According to a study published in the Journal of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, AITC helps fight and reduce inflammation in the colon and the gastrointestinal tract.
Another study published in the Asian Journal of Clinical Nutrition linked regular consumption of mustard oil with lower body weight gain, less visceral fat accumulation, and improved glucose and lipid homeostasis.
In addition, mustard oil is free of Trans Fat, which Dr. Aggarwal calls a “killer fat” because it can lead to build up of cholesterol in the arteries that can, in turn, cause high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
What’s more, mustard oil does not turn rancid, and does not lead to the production of free radicals, which are linked to aging and a host of diseases.
Pure mustard oil is also used as a massage oil, skin serum, and for hair treatment. Research has also shown that alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid found plenty in mustard oil, may help decrease inflammation and relieve pain caused by conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.