COOKING oils and spreads rich in a type of polyunsaturated fat help lower cholesterol but do nothing to cut the risk of heart disease or death compared with eating butter, a study suggests.
While people may experience lowered cholesterol levels, this does not translate to improved survival or lower risk of heart disease, experts said.
In fact, people with the greatest reduction in blood cholesterol appear to have a higher, rather than lower, risk of death.
The US team, including researchers from the prestigious National Institutes of Health in Maryland, said the findings suggest there has been an "over-estimation of the benefits of replacing saturated fat with vegetable oils" that are rich in linoleic acid (a type of omega 6 polunsaturated fat).
Omega 6 polyunsaturated fat has long been regarded as key to helping lower the risk of heart disease and is found in a range of cooking oils such as corn, sunflower, grape seed, rapeseed, poppyseed, corn and sesame oils, as well as nuts and seeds. Express.
.jpeg)