What is ghee oil and is it really good for health and shape

What is ghee oil

Ghee is a gheeCarolina Pena-Serna, L. F. Restrepo-Betancur. Chemical, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characterization of cow and buffalo ghee / Food Science and Technology, which is made from milk, butter or cream, by heating them to a temperature above 100 ° C.

In the process of preparation, almost all moisture is evaporated from the raw materials, and the solid particles precipitated are filtered. Due to this, the ghee is almostY. W. Park, G. F.W. Haenlein. Milk and Dairy Products in Human Nutrition: Production, Composition and Health does not contain milk protein casein (0.3%), water (0.1–0.3%) and lactose.

Ghee is popular in cooking in Sudan, Ethiopia, the Middle East, and especially India. There, ghee is used not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine.H. Sharma, X. Zhang, C. Dwivedi. The effect of ghee (clarified butter) on serum lipid levels and microsomal lipid peroxidation / Āyurvedāloka - Ayurveda.

However, the modern scientific world is in no hurry to recognize ghee as a medicine and even a preferred source of fat.

Can ghee oil improve health?

We were unable to find any studies that tested the health effects of ghee oil. Conclusions about the benefits of the product are most often madeA. Kumar, S. N. Naik. Ghee: Its Properties, Importance and Health Benefits / Enzymatic modification of fats / oils to enhance functional properties, based on its composition, and mention the following "unique" properties:

1. More antioxidants: tocopherols (vitamin E) and beta-carotene, vitamins A and K. However, according to the dataY. W. Park, G. F.W. Haenlein. Milk and Dairy Products in Human Nutrition: Production, Composition and Health, given in the book on dairy products, the difference in the amount of vitamins in ghee and butter is negligible.
2. Fatty acids with short (SCFA) and medium (SCFA) chain lengths. There is evidence that they are quickly absorbed, support health. intestines and mayM. St-Onge, P. J. H. Jones. Physiological Effects of Medium-Chain Triglycerides: Potential Agents in the Prevention of Obesity / The Journal of Nutrition promote weight loss and maintenance. At the same time, SCFA in ghee oil does not exceedY. W. Park, G. F.W. Haenlein. Milk and Dairy Products in Human Nutrition: Production, Composition and Healththan in creamy, and SCFA is several times less (about 8%) than in coconutJ. Wang, X. Wang, J. Li. Effects of Dietary Coconut Oil as a Medium-chain Fatty Acid Source on Performance, Carcass Composition and Serum Lipids in Male Broilers / Asian-Australasian journal of animal sciences (60%).
3. Conjugated linoleic acid(KLK). This substance has 1. L. J. den Hartigh. Conjugated Linoleic Acid Effects on Cancer, Obesity, and Atherosclerosis: A Review of Pre-Clinical and Human Trials with Current Perspectives / Nutrients
   2. S. Basak, A. K. Duttaroy. Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Its Beneficial Effects in Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer / Nutrients anticarcinogenic and antisclerotic properties. However, ghee oil contains onlyCarolina Pena-Serna, L. F. Restrepo-Betancur. Chemical, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characterization of cow and buffalo ghee / Food Science and Technology about 1%, while in experiments on the health benefits of CLA, doses of 3 g per day are used.

Thus, any particular health benefit of ghee is questionable. At the same time, in large quantities, this product can adversely affect health.

Can ghee oil harm?

Ghee containsCarolina Pena-Serna, L. F. Restrepo-Betancur. Chemical, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characterization of cow and buffalo ghee / Food Science and Technology about 55.3% saturated fatty acids. This is even more than creamy.

Since a high percentage of these fats in the diet are associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the World Health Organization prescribesHealthy diet / World Health Organization limit their intake to 10% of the total calories. And the American Heart Association even recommends cutting backSaturated Fat / American Heart Association up to 5-6%, or 13 g per day.

And although scientists periodically declare 1. L. Pimpin, J. H. Y. Wu, H. Haskelberg. s Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Butter Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Total Mortality / Plos One
2. J. Praagman, J. W. Beulens, M. Alssema. The association between dietary saturated fatty acids and ischemic heart disease depends on the type and source of fatty acid in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Netherlands cohort / The American journal of clinical nutritionthat saturated fat from oil does not increase the risk of CVD, diabetes and death, dietary recommendations remainWe Repeat: Butter is Not Back / Harvard T.H. Chan the same for lack of reliable evidence.

Moreover, the 2020 Cochrane Review reaffirmedL. Hooper, N. Martin, O. F. Jimoh, C. Kirk. Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease / Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviewsthat reducing the amount of saturated fat in the diet over two years can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Thus, overdoing it with ghee may increase your risk of CVD. Especially if you already have high cholesterol and other factors associated with vascular disease.

Does ghee help you lose and maintain weight?

There is no scientific evidence on this. Indirect evidence of benefits can be found in studies of conjugated linoleic acid supplements, which are often marketed as being beneficial for weight loss.

Three meta-analyzes of scientific papers have shown 1. I. J. Onakpoya, P. P. Posadzki, L. K. Watson. The efficacy of long-term conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation on body composition in overweight and obese individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials / European Journal of Nutrition
2. N. Namazi, P. Irandoost, B. Larijani, L. Azadbakht. The effects of supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid on anthropometric indices and body composition in overweight and obese subjects: A systematic review and meta-analysis / Critical reviews in food science and nutritionthat taking a CLA supplement can help you lose slightly more fat than a placebo.

However, scientists admit that the effect is small and the supplement requires further research. Moreover, the reviewF. Haghighatdoost, B. F. Nobakht. Effect of conjugated linoleic acid on blood inflammatory markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized controlled trials / European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 11 scientific papers have shown that taking CLA increases the level of inflammatory markers of C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and therefore requires special care.

But in meta-analyzes 1. L. D. Whigham, A. C. Watras, D. A. Schoeller. Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans / The American journal of clinical nutrition
2. N. Namazi, P. Irandoost, B. Larijani, L. Azadbakht. The effects of supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid on anthropometric indices and body composition in overweight and obese subjects: A systematic review and meta-analysis / Critical reviews in food science and nutrition reported doses of CLA 3.2–3.4 g per day. Considering that ghee oil contains about 1% of this acid, its usefulness is very doubtful.

What ghee oil can be useful for

One of the really unique properties of a baked product is its high smoke point. Due to the almost complete absence of water, ghee oil can be heated to a temperature of 250 ° C, and it will not start burning and spoil the taste of food.

In addition, it has little 1. Carolina Pena-Serna, L. F. Restrepo-Betancur. Chemical, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characterization of cow and buffalo ghee / Food Science and Technology
2. M. Grootveld, B. C. Percival, S. Moumtaz. Commentary: Iconoclastic Reflections on the ‘Safety’ of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Rich Culinary Frying Oils: Some Cautions regarding the Laboratory Analysis and Dietary Ingestion of Lipid Oxidation Product Toxins / Applied Sciences polyunsaturated fatty acids (4%), which, when heated to high temperatures, begin to release toxic substances.

So ghee is a great option for frying, baking, and other ways to process food at high temperatures.

In addition, it can be stored for a really long time. At room temperature, ghee retainsY. W. Park, G. F.W. Haenlein. Milk and Dairy Products in Human Nutrition: Production, Composition and Health its taste for 6-8 months, and in the cold it can last up to two years.

So it's a great idea to cook with ghee, but it's unlikely to get any special health and body benefits from it.

Iya Zorina