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What is Hydrogenated Oil and Its Health Risks?

What is Hydrogenated Oil used for and what are its Health Risks?


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Oils are essential for cooking and in the food processing as a whole. That is why different researches and studies have been made to see if there are any health benefits as well as health risks that come from oils. Hydrogenated oils are common in our shelves. These are usually in the form of margarines or Crisco. But first, what is hydrogenated oil and how does it differ from the usual oil that we have?

Hydrogenated oil is made from usual oils that underwent high pressure wherein it hydrogen goes into the oil, making the oil solid and more stable than the usual oils. This process allows oil to have longer shelf life as well as higher melting point. Since the natural structure of the oil is changed, so is the content. Before, hydrogenated oil was promoted as a healthy substitute for oils, however, as more studies and researches were done, it is found out that hydrogenated oils are detrimental to the health of the consumers.

Hydrogenated oil contains trans fat, unlike the conventional oils that has unsaturated fats which are healthy to the body. Trans fat however, are not good for the body because it increases the presence of the bad cholesterol or commonly known as LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) as well as decreases the presence of good cholesterol or HDL (High Density Lipoprotein). Hydrogenated oils have been found out to cause weight gain and weight issues because these oils tend to accumulate in the body because the system cannot digest and metabolize them properly.

There are a lot of supporting studies that show hydrogen oils as the cause of many cardiovascular and related diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart diseases, and clogged veins.
Doctors and health care practitioners have advised people to lessen the intake of hydrogenated oils and switch to healthier alternatives. Proper diet and moderate exercise is also a must to keep a healthy body.

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