You may have heard of metabolism; it’s about health. It is a key cellular process required for life and growth. Metabolism includes chemical reactions in cells that affect overall health. Metabolism can be described as the engine of the body’s functions.
Genetics affect metabolism to some extent, but lifestyle has a big impact on it. Your exercise and eating habits can also greatly affect metabolic rate. That’s why diet talks often focus on optimal diets. Good or bad fuel changes the way your car runs, and so does the food our bodies eat.
Now, it’s also important to understand the foods that can affect your metabolism. For those who are getting older, this becomes even more important. But it’s not just junk food that should be avoided. Even healthy ingredients can cause trouble if not cooked properly. Let’s take a look at the foods that may be secretly sabotaging your metabolism.
It is often said that vegetable oils are very healthy for the human body, they contain beneficial fats essential for human function. But science shows that simple heating can turn oils into inflammatory time bombs. The change is shocking and surprising.
When you heat oils rich in omega-6 fats, such as sunflower oil or corn oil, you create a chain reaction that is very harmful to the human body. This process completely changes the chemical structure of the oil. Heating unsaturated fats first breaks their chemical bonds. This step produces free radicals, molecules that cause cellular damage. These free radicals are the first step in the production of compounds that are harmful to the human body.
The final stage produces very harmful aldehydes, compounds that cause a lot of inflammation in the body. Aldehydes in heating oils are closely related to metabolic problems. Scientists believe that metabolic disorders can lead to chronic diseases. Aldehydes are not inactive, but they are harmful. They interact with the body’s inflammatory system. Consuming them triggers cellular reactions associated with metabolic problems such as diabetes.
Not all oils act the same when cooking over heat. Some oils become toxic quickly and others become inflamed quickly. The difference is how many double bonds are in the oil’s fatty acid composition. Oils high in polyunsaturated fats are most susceptible to heat. Sunflower, soybean and corn oils are high-risk oils that are often heated. Their composition rapidly generates free radicals at high temperatures. Oils with fewer bonds, on the other hand, are more stable at high temperatures.
Medium oils also require care when heating. High oleic peanut oil and canola oil fall into this category. They contain natural antioxidants that provide some protection against heat. These antioxidants slow the production of undesirable compounds. This protection does not last forever with heating. Each time it is heated, more of the antioxidants in the oil are depleted. Reheating means that the protective effect that was there to begin with is diminished.
Inflammation caused by oxidized oils is not a small event that happens alone. Scientists now say that this inflammation leads to many chronic diseases. Research shows strong evidence that this link is real. People who consume heated oils often develop markers for people with metabolic syndrome.
The way we eat naturally affects the inflammatory response, and different diets can alter the onset or remission of inflammation. It’s not just about one food, but how foods work together. Understanding these broader food patterns can help protect our metabolism. This becomes critical as we age.
It is here that comparative studies of old and new eating habits come into play. Studies of groups with different eating habits show the impact of food on inflammation. They reveal how health changes with certain diets. Some diets cause inflammation. Others choose nutrient-rich, minimally processed foods.
Researchers compare diets to see how they change health. A study in Tanzania looked at two different diets. It compared Western-style diets in cities, and it looked at the traditional Kilimanjaro diet in rural areas. The study provided an opportunity to see what happens when people change their diets. Healthy men from rural areas, most of whom previously consumed a traditional diet, participated in the study. Men from the town of Moshi, who were used to a western diet, were also enrolled in the study. Comparisons of the groups showed the impact of diet. Some participants changed their diets to see how their bodies reacted. This showed the real differences between these dietary worlds.
Let’s take a closer look at the Western diet in the Tanzanian study. It looks very different from the traditional local diet. Calculations show that 55% of energy usually comes from carbohydrates. Most carbohydrates come from refined foods. Think of the maize flour used to make porridge or pancakes. In addition, many kinds of fried starches are common.
Fats add a lot of energy, about 23% of total energy. Most of this comes from fried foods. Popular foods include fried chicken, fried beef and fried potato chips. A local dish that mixes potato chips and eggs is called “chip mayay.” Dietary fiber content is very low, accounting for only 3.5% of total energy.
The traditional Kilimanjaro diet is very different from the urban diet. In the study, rural people followed this diet. This traditional diet provides different nutrients. Carbohydrates make up 60% of the total energy. But these come mainly from whole grains, with root foods like taro and boiled sweet potatoes being key. Focusing on less processed plant-based foods makes a difference.
Protein provides less energy than the Western diet. Protein accounts for about 11% of total energy. Protein comes mainly from meat, local ground chicken and fish. The fat content is quite low. Only 7% of total energy. Simple sugars are higher than in the Western diet, accounting for 7%. But dietary fiber is the main part. It provides 14% of total energy. High fiber plus full carbohydrates produces a different metabolic profile.
They ate under surveillance, which helped the researchers make sure the people were eating the study food. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and samples were taken at the end of the dieting period. More samples are taken after four weeks. This helps to track changes over time.
The researchers wanted to see the physical changes that come with dietary changes. They measured a lot of things. They checked for inflammatory signals in the blood, which are called circulating biomarkers. They tested the function of immune cells in the lab, which shows how cells make inflammatory signals. They analyzed active genes and small molecules in the plasma, which can reveal major changes in the body. Examining changes in gut bacteria is the second step. Gut health is closely linked to metabolism. By measuring these details, it is possible to see how dietary shifts work.
Choosing the right oil makes a big difference. Coconut oil and avocado oil are the safest for high temperatures. The stability ranking of the oils clearly shows this. They contain mostly saturated or monounsaturated fats. These fats have fewer weaknesses than polyunsaturated fats. They are less likely to break down when heated. They are less likely to form inflammatory compounds. Coconut oil can handle multiple heats very well.
In addition to picking stable essential oils, use them wisely. You can also help by using natural compounds that can help counteract the damage caused by heated oils. Curcumin is a yellow spice. It shows promise in lab tests. It helps block bad chemicals called aldehydes. It reduces indicators of inflammation in the body. Adding this spice may protect you. Balancing omega-6 oils is another crucial step.
Making simple changes goes a long way. Use fresh, stabilized oil for cooking. Also add anti-inflammatory foods and compounds. This reduces the risk of metabolic problems and triggers. This is a powerful step toward protecting your metabolism and your health later in life.
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