With the summer returns the season of beautiful salads of fresh vegetables, with their promises of vitamins and nutrients “good for the health”. However, there is one detail that we do not necessarily think about but which can make all the difference: the accompanying sauce.
In a study published in the journal Molecular nutrition & Food research, researchers at Purdue University in Indiana (United States) showed that to make the dressing that accompanies summer salad, choosing an oil saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated is not trivial. Indeed, some prevent the absorption of lutein, lycopene or beta-carotene, carotenoids useful in the prevention of certain cancers or cardiovascular diseases.
Weight loss or health: the choice is yours
“If you want to get the most out of your salads, you need to pair them with non-low fat dressings,” said Mario Ferruzzi, lead author of the study. “Sure, low fat dressings are better for the figure, but you are losing some of the goodness of the veg.”
In this study, 29 people were fed salads seasoned with either butter sauce (high in saturated fatty acids), canola or olive oil (monounsaturated fatty acids), or corn oil (polyunsaturated fatty acids). They then had their blood drawn to check for the presence of carotenoids in their bodies. The researchers then realized that the more the salad is “rich in fat”, the more nutrients are absorbed by the body.
These results confirm a 2004 study, carried out by the University of Iowa, which indicated that carotenoids were more bioavailable (that is, easily absorbed by the intestines) when paired with sauces not. lightened. Researchers at Purdue University will now continue their work to see if nutrients are more easily absorbed at certain times of the day or if their absorption is stalled throughout the day.
