🍟 The health dangers of reusing of deep-fried cooking oils

Reusing the same oil for frying is a common practice in both homes and restaurants.

Deep frying adds calories, can remove many of the oil's natural antioxidants and create contain harmful components, such as acrylamide, trans fats and peroxides. All of which have been lined to metabolic disorders.

A new study found higher levels of neurodegeneration in rats that consumed reused deep-fried cooking oils, compared to rats on a normal diet.

In detail, the rats that consumed reheated sesame or sunflower oil (on top of their normal feed) showed:

• Greater oxidative stress and inflammation of the liver

• Significant damage to the colon and greater release of toxins from certain bacteria (endotoxins)

• Lower transport of the protective omega-3 fatty acids to the brain

It was hypothesised that the changes in fat metabolism and the liver–gut–brain axis (the communication between the 3 organs) were behind the neurodegeneration.

Interestingly, fat metabolism and neurodegeneration not only affected the experimental rats, but also their offspring which were more likely to show neuronal damage.

🥊 Punchline

Reusing the same cooking oil for frying has been associated with liver damage, inflammation and neurodegeneration. Although animal experiments normally use very high doses of a toxic compound, this study highlights the health dangers from reusing the same vegetable oil for cooking.

〽️Does ZOE actually work?

ZOE has taken personalised nutrition by storm in the UK.

The ZOE program is based on the premise that “individuals have inherently different biological responses to different food groups”. Differences that are driven largely by the gut microbiome.

That’s why ZOE uses the gut microbiome as a critical and modifiable target for personalised nutrition.

That’s all good and well, but with cost starting at £299, is it worth the price?

Dr Nicola Guess makes a compelling argument.

She argues that the efficacy of the ZOE program was only tested against a leaflet on generic healthy eating advice.

So there is no data on how ZOE compares against generic healthy eating advice from a professional.

There are also questions over the trail that ZOE run to test its efficacy (e.g. blinding, choice of control group).

🥊 Punchline

ZOE has become very popular thanks to its marketing campaign, but is it really worth the high fee when you could achieve the same results with the help of a professional for a much lower cost?

🍪Is the school pick up a golden opportunity for healthy habits?

Researchers studied 300 families of children who attended 30 childcare centers.

They found that the hour after parents or caregivers picked up their children stood out as a high-calorie, less healthy part of the child's overall diet.

The food eaten in the hour after pick up accounted for:

• 290 calories on average

• 20% of the daily calorie intake for the child

• 22% of the day's added sugar for the child

Children thrive on routine, so this can be a great opportunity to try a small change that might make a big difference.

🥊 Punchline

A few minutes of preparation can make it easier to skip the ‘high-calorie drive-through’. For example, stocking the car with veggie sticks, cheese, fruit slices, and low-sugar drinks such as water or milk.