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What do you know about the food that goes on bread? Both butter and margarine can have an effect on your health. know more

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the consumption of margarine instead of butter. This recommendation is made because butter is rich in saturated fat and cholesterol, substances often related to the development of cardiovascular disease. In turn, margarine has in its composition unsaturated vegetable oils, sources of mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids.

It is believed that mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids have beneficial properties to the organism, as they are able to collaborate in the elevation of good cholesterol (HDL) and in the reduction of bad cholesterol (LDL).

But is margarine really healthier than butter?

According to the I Guideline on the consumption of fats and cardiovascular health for the manufacture of margarine, the food industry needs to transform vegetable oil (liquid at room temperature) into a product with a semi-solid or solid consistency. For this, two types of procedures can be applied: hydrogenation and interestification.

hydrogenation

This method transforms polyunsaturated fatty acids (naturally found in the cis configuration) to fatty acids in the trans configuration. What does that mean?

It means that the hydrogen atoms bonded to the carbon in the double bond that were previously bonded side by side move to opposite sides. This change provides a straight configuration and greater rigidity to the molecule.

The trans unsaturated fatty acid then assumes characteristics of a saturated fatty acid and will constitute the hydrogenated trans fat.

Due to the harmful effects of trans fatty acids on human health, especially linked to increased cardiovascular risk, health regulatory agencies started to recommend the restriction of consumption of this type of fat. This attitude forced the food industry to develop another form of fat that would offer similar characteristics to trans-fat products. Despite this, it is still possible to find margarine brands that contain saturated fat and the method is still widely used in the manufacture of other industrialized products, such as biscuits, biscuits, snacks, breads and so on.

interestification

Interestification was the procedure adopted by the food industry to manufacture a product that has the same organoleptic characteristics provided by trans fats. Interestified fats can be produced using the enzymatic or chemical method, the latter being the most used.

Chemical interestification is the rearrangement of the distribution of fatty acids in glycerol, changing the physical composition without changing the chemical composition of the original oil. However, as part of the process, saturated fatty acids are introduced that will occupy the sn-2 position of the glycerol. This position is naturally occupied by unsaturated fatty acids.

Although interestified fats do not have trans fat in their composition, and the chemical transformation of the fat is not carried out, the distribution of fatty acids in positions 1, 2 and 3 of the glycerol molecule is modified and the amount of acids increases. saturated fats. According to the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, these changes can lead to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

And how is the final consumer in the midst of so much uncertainty?

From the Resolution of the Health Surveillance Agency, manufacturers who use the hydrogenation process are required to report the existence of trans fat on the product label.

As for margarine manufactured by the interestification method, the manufacturer is required to inform the presence of interestified vegetable oils/vegetable fat in the list of ingredients. But you don't have to say which fatty acids make up the final product.

According to the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, the possibility of using different types of fatty acids in the composition of margarine makes it difficult to establish significant evidence between the consumption of margarine and the development of diseases and health problems, such as atherosclerosis.

The study published in Nutrition & Metabolism studied the effects caused by stearic acid. This acid can be formed from the process of interestification of unsaturated vegetable oil, and according to the results of the study, it is related to an increase in bad cholesterol (LDL) and a decrease in good cholesterol (HDL) in the blood.

These are the same effects caused by trans fat in the body. The study also supports the possibility that fatty acids present in interestified fat are related to increased blood glucose.

Therefore, it may be up to the consumer to consider the consumption of both, considering the WHO recommendation to use restricted butter and moderate use of margarine. And also bearing in mind that a high-fat diet (whatever its origin) is high in calories, which contributes to overweight and obesity, which, according to the WHO, are the main risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease and cancers.