Vegetable fats versus animal fats: who wins?

Butter curl on a wooden spoon How many times have we heard that margarine is a healthier choice than butter ? But are we really sure that this is the case? In fact, that is, that fats have a vegetable rather than an animal origin, does it really allow us to be able to eat them with peace of mind and buy them without too many scruples? Here are some things we need to think about when comparing vegetable fats and animal fats according to the Nutrition Authority:
1) Vegetable oils have a high source of omega 6 and linoleic acid:omega 6 fatty acids are an excellent source of good fatty acids, along with omega 3 and omega 9. However, the problem with these fatty acids is that they need to be counterbalanced by the others. For example, it is right to have a good source of omega 6, but we must not neglect the omega 3, while instead this is exactly what happens. Few omega3, many omega6. Which brings us to point two: an excess of linoleic acid.

2) Excess linoleic acid accumulates in the fat cells of the body and in general in the cell membrane: according to a study by Dr. Stephan Guyenet, this has led to a structural modification of our body fat over the decades, from the 1970s to 2008. How exactly we do not know, but too much vegetable fat in the diet has led to a transformation for the worse of our adipose tissue.
3) An excess of linoleic acid causes oxidative stress, or an increase in free radicals. In short: if we unbalance ourselves with omega6, we age faster. It also causes cardiovascular health problems.
4) Vegetable oils lower bad cholesterol , but also good cholesterol: which is not good news.
5) Vegetable oils change their structure with cooking:the more the oils are good oils, the more you have to check that they are cold pressed, keep them very well and consume them in a not too long time. This applies for example to linseed oil (which contains alpha-linoleic acid), to hemp oil, etc. But margarine is not a mix of good vegetable oils, which eventually lose their nutritional properties, but a mix of vegetable oils of the worst kind, such as palm and rapeseed oil. When cooked, these oils are toxic.
Think about it next time you make shortcrust pastry with margarine …