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Corn Oil Fatty Acid Composition and Its Influence on Our Health

rn oil fatty acid composition

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Corn oil fatty acid composition is important as corn oil is one of the most popular oils in the United States. You may find corn oil in nearly all commercial prepared food. Fast food, fried chicken, snacks, popcorn are often made with it. Corn oil is inexpensive and available. What does it consist of?  

Calories in corn oil

Corn oil is highly-caloric. As we can see from corn oil nutrition profile 100 g the oil contain 884 kcal as well as many cooking oils. And it is not a surprise as corn oil is fat. It has no protein, carbohydrates, fibers, sodium and so on. You should remember that 3 tablespoons of the oil is enough for our daily nutrition. We usually don’t count the oil when we fry or add the oil to the salads. Use a tablespoon pouring the oil and the high amount of calories in corn oil won’t be a problem.

 

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Fat profile

Main fats in corn oil are healthy. The oil contains only 13% of saturated fats. In comparison olive oil contains 14% of saturated fats. Saturated fats are undesirable for our diet as dietologists warn. Corn oil fatty acid composition is seen from the table below. According to the information from nutritiondata corn oil contains:

 

Corn oil (100g)
Polyunsaturated Omega-6 fat (linoleic acid)53.5 g
Monounsaturated Omega-9 fat (oleic acid)27.6 g
Polyunsaturated Omega-3 fat (alpha-linolenic acid)1.16 g
Saturated fat13 g

 

Corn oil is a source of healthy unsaturated fatty acids. These fats are necessary for the body functioning. Polyunsaturated fats are essential. It means that they are not produced in the body. We receive them from food. They are used by the brain cells. They are needed for bones and skin. They regulate metabolism. The deficiency in polyunsaturated fats can even cause depression. Monounsaturated fats are heart-healthy. They prevent high blood presser, lessens cholesterol level, thin the blood reducing the risk of atherosclerotic plaques and a heart stroke. The only drawback of corn oil is that the proportion of linoleic acid to alpha-linolenic acid is too high. The ratio of these fatty acids in our nutrition should be 4:1 as Wikipedia states. And when we get a lot of omega-6 fatty acids and practically none of omega-3 fats the inflammatory processes in the body prevail over anti-inflammatory ones. As omega-3s possess the anti-inflammatory effect.

 

Is corn oil healthy?

Corn oil fatty acid composition is controversial. The high amount of omega-6 fats may lead to a heart disease and arthritis. Researches show that corn oil may increase the risk of prostate cancer and breast cancer. There is a way out. When you consume corn oil or food containing corn oil  add to the diet fish or other products rich in omega-3s. Try not to use a lot of corn oil. Moderation here is a way to the corn oil benefits without harm for the health.