Cooking Oil

An analysis in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) opens the door a little wider on the myth that vegetable oils are superior to animal fats. Typical vegetable oils, such as corn and safflower oil, are high in omega-6 fatty acids and poor in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation, whereas omega-3 fatty acids decrease inflammation. While both are necessary for health, the typical American diet is too high in omega-6 fatty acids and too low in omega-3 fatty acids. A good ratio would be about 1:1, or at least approaching that. Interestingly, this discussion came about by makers of vegetable oils wanting to add health benefit claims to their products. Researchers did find the these vegetable oils did lower cholesterol relative to baseline and the control group. However, the rates of death from all causes of cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease significantly increased in the treatment group.

As a side note, low cholesterol does not protect you from cardiovascular incidents.

Saturated fats, found in animals, on the other hand are not bad as we once thought. They are actually associated with an increase in the "good cholesterol."