Alarming new research has revealed that consuming reused deep-fried cooking oil may lead to higher levels of neurodegeneration in rats and their offspring. Given that the practice of re-heating the same batch of oil for multiple meals is common in homes and restaurants worldwide, the study’s findings could have major implications for human health.
Deep-frying involves completely submerging food in hot oil and is an extremely popular cooking technique that can be used to prepare everything from doughnuts to falafel. Unfortunately, however, the delicious treats that emerge from deep fryers have been linked to a range of illnesses including cancer and diabetes.
It’s thought that these dangers are enhanced when oils are reused, as the repeated heating destroys the antioxidants and other healthy components contained within the grease, while also adding dangerous compounds like trans fats and peroxides. However, until now, the consequences of consuming reused oil had not been properly investigated.
“Deep-frying at high temperatures has been linked with several metabolic disorders, but there have been no long-term investigations on the influence of deep-fried oil consumption and its detrimental effects on health,” explained study author Kathiresan Shanmugam in a statement. “To our knowledge we are first to report long-term deep-fried oil supplementation increases neurodegeneration in the first-generation offspring.”
Over the course of 30 days, the researchers fed female rats either standard chow or food that was enriched with regular or reheated oils. At the end of the month, they found that the animals raised on reused oil displayed elevated liver enzyme levels, indicating high levels of inflammation and oxidative stress within this key organ.
“As a result, liver lipid metabolism was significantly altered, and the transport of the important brain omega-3 fatty acid DHA was decreased,” said Shanmugam. “This, in turn, resulted in neurodegeneration, which was seen in the brain histology of the rats consuming the reheated oil as well as their offspring.”
Such findings illustrate the importance of the liver-gut-brain axis and demonstrate how its disruption can lead to neurological damage. In addition, rats fed on reheated oil displayed increased cholesterol and higher levels of inflammation markers like high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), which is linked to heart attacks and strokes.
Cellular damage within the colon of these rats was also noted by the researchers, as was the degeneration of neuronal support cells known as glia. In a series of follow-up experiments, the study authors exposed the rats to monosodium glutamate (MSG) and found that this common food additive induced further neurological damage in the rats that had been reared on reused oil.
The results of the study were presented at Discover BMB, the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which was held from March 23 to 26 in San Antonio.
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