Olive and sunflower oils are no longer the only fats on supermarket shelves. Now, the variety is overwhelming: coconut, walnut, peanut, soybean, avocado, sesame, flax… The latter is extracted from flaxseeds, and has long attracted the attention of some nutrition experts due to its components. benefits it presents.
Recently, the Institute of Fat – a research center that belongs to the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) – has carried out a study that proposes a new classification system that evaluates the nutritional quality of oils suitable for consumption. Based on the results obtained, they scored the oils from 1 to 100. To the surprise of very few, the virgin olive oil was the one that achieved the best result. More unexpected is the tie that occurred between the common olive, the olive pomace and the flax, with 86 points.
Javier Sánchez Perona, a CSIC researcher specializing in nutrition and lipid metabolism and lead author of the study, explained to Comer La Vanguardia how they reached these conclusions. “To determine what a healthy oil was, we looked at the parameters taken into account by official organizations such as the WHO, the EFSA and the FDA, especially in different types of fatty acids (trans, saturated, oleic…), which are the major components of this food”.
They analyzed 32 oils, of which only five obtained a score below 50. “Products that exceed 50 points are fine, but the healthiest options would be from 70,” says Sánchez. Flax oil obtained such a high score for its high omega-3 content, an unsaturated fatty acid to which multiple benefits are attributed, such as slightly lowering blood pressure and the risk of heart failure, and reducing inflammation in the body.
For nutritionist Mireia Cervera, from Teresa Carles Healthy Foods, this oil can be an interesting supplement for people who follow a vegan diet or who consume little fish. “But the flavor, which is slightly reminiscent of nuts, is not as pleasant as that of olive oil. And, what’s more, it tends to be more expensive,” says the expert, who recommends using this product to dress salads or add a touch to a gazpacho
Manel García and Hanna Buschmann, authors of the successful vegan food blog Addicted to Hummus, use flax oil to provide a fatty texture to their vegan tuna, which they prepare with chickpeas, garlic and crumbled nori seaweed. “Combined with the algae, its flavor can be reminiscent of blue fish,” they explain.
Although both olive oil and flax oil obtain the same score in the CSIC classification, their composition is different. While in the former the oleic fatty acids are the majority, the flax one is richer in linoleic acids. This component, precisely, is responsible for the fact that flaxseed oil is not a good option for cooking. “This acid is damaged by heat treatments,” explains Sánchez, who adds that, since it oxidizes faster, it also lasts less than other greases.
Versatility in the kitchen, therefore, is not one of the advantages of this oil, which can only be consumed raw. The flavor is also not so pleasant when compared to olive, so its high omega-3 content would be its greatest virtue. “But we must bear in mind that the body does not transform and absorb vegetable omega-3s in the same way as animals,” says the expert. In the former, the transformation is inefficient and we do not obtain as many benefits.
The Mayo Clinic portal, for its part, warns that this food can alter the effect of medications for blood pressure or diabetes, anticoagulants, and estrogens.
“In the context of the Mediterranean diet, flax oil is dispensable, it is only interesting for vegan diets, in which there is no omega-3 contribution from fish,” concludes the CSIC researcher. The nutritionist Mireia Cervera agrees, although she admits that she usually prescribes supplements of this fatty acid.
Due to its flavor, aroma and benefits, the best option is extra virgin olive oil, the experts conclude. However, its calorie content is still very high and it is not recommended to consume it indiscriminately. The recommended daily amount is around 40 ml, which is equivalent to five tablespoons.
