Not all processed foods deserve their bad reputation, according to new research from King’s College London and Maastricht University.
In a six-week clinical trial of 47 healthy adults, researchers tested two types of industrially processed fats commonly found in margarines, spreads and baked goods. Both were made using a process called interesterification, which blends different fatty acids to create solid fats without using trans fats.
Participants alternated between diets rich in either palmitic acid (from palm oil) or stearic acid (from other plant fats). Each diet provided about 10% of daily calories from these fats. Researchers then tracked cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, liver fat and blood vessel function.
The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed no significant differences in cholesterol, triglycerides, or other markers of cardiovascular risk between the two fats.
“With the current demonization of everything processed, this research highlights that not all food processing is bad for us,” said Professor Sarah Berry, senior author and Professor of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London. “The process of interesterification allows the generation of hard fats in place of harmful trans fats, whilst also enabling manufacturers to reduce the saturated fat content of spreads and foods.”
Lead author Professor Wendy Hall said the results are reassuring for consumers: “Industrially processed fats currently used in everyday foods, whether rich in palmitic or stearic acid, are unlikely to have harmful effects on cardiovascular health when consumed in amounts that people could achieve in their everyday diets.”
The researchers caution that the trial was short term but say the findings suggest that modern food manufacturing methods can sometimes improve nutrition rather than harm it.
This study was funded by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.