The fatty acid content in different cooking oils has a significant impact on dietary balance. The Chinese Nutrition Society, in its "Dietary Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents," recommends that the total fat intake for adults should account for 20%-30% of total energy, with the total intake ratio of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids being nearly equal, with a ratio of approximately 1:1:1 among the three.
However, no single vegetable oil in nature can achieve this ratio. Maintaining a balanced fat intake requires either reasonable blending of different oils by manufacturers or the consumption of a variety of oils by consumers. Saturated fatty acids are mainly derived from animal fats. From this perspective, consumers should diversify their oil consumption as much as possible and not be too "exclusive" in their choice.
Currently, there are hundreds of special oil varieties available in China. In fact, whether it's specialty oils like wild camellia oil, tea seed oil, garlic oil, perilla oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil, and olive oil, or common bulk oils like palm oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, peanut oil, and various blended oils, all are sources of fatty acid intake. If economic conditions permit, it is advisable to consume more specialty oils, but long-term consumption of any single oil is not recommended, as it is not beneficial for maintaining dietary balance. Cooking oil is not a health food.
Today, the market for cooking oil is extremely competitive. To attract consumers, many manufacturers have resorted to promoting health benefits, especially newer varieties like sunflower oil, corn oil, and camellia oil, which have sparked a "health food trend" in the cooking oil market.
The promotion of health benefits by manufacturers has a significant impact on consumer purchasing decisions. At a large supermarket in Wuhan, the author saw a woman in her 50s who, upon the recommendation of a sales promoter, bought two barrels of sunflower oil. She said: "The salesperson told me that sunflower oil can regulate blood lipids, soften blood vessels, and lower blood pressure. The label on the oil barrel also says so, so it must be correct. My family and I are all overweight, and my husband and I have high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Isn't buying sunflower oil a two-for-one deal? It can be used for cooking and also for treating and maintaining health, so I bought it."
In fact, the Ministry of Health has never approved any cooking oil as a health food, and since the State Food and Drug Administration took over the approval process for health foods, it has also not approved any cooking oil as such. Therefore, cooking oils on the market that claim to have health benefits are illegal, and even so-called nutritionally fortified oils are not permitted to claim health benefits without authorization.
From a nutritional perspective, cooking oils can only be said to have different nutritional components, and consumers can choose varieties that suit their own nutritional status. Manufacturers' unauthorized promotion of health benefits in cooking oils not only infringes on consumers' right to know and misleads them but also poses a significant potential threat to their health. If cooking oils are advertised as having functions like softening blood vessels, lowering blood lipids, reducing blood pressure, and decreasing the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, it will definitely lower the vigilance of consumers suffering from such chronic diseases, which can easily lead to harm.
In recent years, with the increasing prevalence of the "three highs" (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood lipids), people have begun to pay more attention to their lifestyles, control improper dietary intake, and prevent or manage the "three highs." However, some people believe that the less oil they consume, the better, thinking that eating less or no oil can reduce high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood lipids. This is actually a misconception.
Fats and oils are a class of natural organic compounds with a chemical composition of triglyceride mixtures. Together with proteins and carbohydrates, they form the three major nutrients in nature. Cooking oil is a pure source of energy for the human body.
All cooking oils contain various fatty acids, including linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid, which the human body cannot synthesize but are "essential fatty acids" for the body. A deficiency of linoleic acid in children can lead to dry skin, thickening of scales, and slow growth and development. Arachidonic acid is a precursor substance for the synthesis of prostaglandins in the human body. A deficiency of linolenic acid can cause an increase in blood cholesterol levels. These three "essential fatty acids" can only be obtained from dietary oil. Therefore, it is clear that people cannot avoid consuming oil.
In addition, cooking oils are also rich in fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K, which directly affect human health.
China's Balanced Dietary Pagoda recommends a daily oil intake of 25 grams per person, which is equivalent to one tablespoon of oil.