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A new study found higher levels of neurodegeneration in rats that consumed reused fried cooking oils and in their offspring compared to rats on a normal diet. Frying, which involves completely submerging food in hot oil, is a common method of food preparation around the world.
The study results also suggest that increased neurodegeneration is related to the oil’s effects on the two-way communication network between the liver, gut, and brain. The liver-gut-brain axis plays a crucial role in regulating various physiological functions, and its dysregulation has been associated with neurological disorders.
Kathiresan Shanmugam, associate professor at the Central University of Tamil Nadu in Thiruvarur, led the research team.
““Frying at high temperatures has been linked to several metabolic disorders, but there has been no long-term research on the influence of fried oil consumption and its harmful health effects,” said Shanmugam, formerly of Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai. ““To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to report that long-term supplementation with fried oil increases neurodegeneration in first-generation offspring.”
Sugasini Dhavamani, a research collaborator at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will present the research at Discover BMB, the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, taking place March 23-26 in San Antonio.
Frying foods not only adds calories; Reusing the same oil for frying, a common practice in both homes and restaurants, removes many of the oil’s natural antioxidants and health benefits. Reused oil may also contain harmful components such as acrylamide, trans fats, peroxides and polar compounds.
To explore the long-term effects of reused frying oil, the researchers divided female rats into five groups, each receiving standard chow alone or standard chow with 0.1 ml per day of unheated sesame oil, unheated sunflower and reheated sesame oil. or sunflower oil reheated for 30 days. The reheated oils simulated reused frying oil.
Compared to the other groups, rats that consumed reheated sesame or sunflower oil showed greater oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver. These rats also showed significant colon damage resulting in changes in endotoxins and lipopolysaccharides -; toxins released by certain bacteria. “As a result, liver lipid metabolism was significantly altered and transport of the important omega-3 fatty acid DHA from the brain was decreased. This, in turn, resulted in neurodegeneration, which was observed in the brain histology of rats that “They consumed the superheated oil, as well as their offspring.”
Additional studies using MSG to induce neurotoxicity in offspring showed that offspring who consumed the reheated oils were more likely to show neuronal damage than the control group that received no oil or those that received unheated oil.
Although more studies are needed, researchers say supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and nutraceuticals such as curcumin and oryzanol could be helpful in reducing liver inflammation and neurodegeneration. They added that human clinical studies are needed to evaluate the adverse effects of consuming fried foods, especially those made with oil that is used repeatedly.
As a next step, researchers would like to study the effects of frying oil on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as anxiety, depression, and neuroinflammation. They would also like to further explore the relationship between the gut microbiota and the brain to identify potential new ways to prevent or treat neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.
