According to a new study, repeatedly using oil for deep frying can boost risk for neurodegeneration.

Deep Frying and Health

For several American diets, deep fried food is considered a staple. In fact, around 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 American adults eat fast food each day. In most cases, the food is fried.

Deep frying is a common food preparation method all over the world. It involves submerging foods fully in sizzling oil.

Because of the amount of oil used in this cooking process and in order to decrease food waste, food vendors and restaurants usually recycle their frying oil. However, a new study shows that doing so does not just remove many of the health benefits and natural antioxidants of the oil; it can also boost the oil's harmful compound content, such as peroxides, acrylamide, and trans fat.

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Reusing Deep-Frying Oil Could Boost Neurodegeneration

While these dangerous compounds are believed to boost risk of metabolic disorders and various cancers, they can also boost neurodegeneration risk.

Kathiresan Shanmugan, an associate professor at the Central University of Tamil Nadu, explains that deep-frying at elevated temperatures has been associated with various metabolic disorders. However, there have been no long-term studies regarding the influence of the consumption of deep-fried oil and its detrimental health efforts. Professor Shanmugan explains that, to their knowledge, they are the first ones to report that long-term supplementation of deep-fried oil could boost neurodegeneration among first-generation offspring.

To look into these impacts, Shanmugan and other researchers from the University of Illinois divided a female rate group into five different groups. Each group had a different diet in the course of 30 days. One of the groups ate the typical chow alone, while others got standard chow with 0.1 milliliter of unheated sunflower oil, unheated sesame oil, reheated sunflower oil, or reheated sesame oil. These reheated oil simulated reused oil for frying.

In comparison to the other groups, the rats that received the reheated oils exhibited significantly higher toxin accumulation and inflammation within their livers. They also exhibited colon damage.

Shanmugan explains that, as a result, the metabolism of their liver lipids were altered significantly. Moreover, the transport of the crucial omega-3 fatty acid DHA also went down.

While these results have only been observed among animals, the study raises crucial concerns regarding the health effects of the consumption of deep fried food that go beyond calorie content.

As they move forward, the team hopes to look into the impacts of deep-frying oil on human neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. They also want to see its impacts on depression and anxiety.

The researchers presented their findings in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's annual meeting.

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