With summer comes the season for beautiful fresh vegetable salads, with their promise of “healthy” vitamins and nutrients. However, there is a 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 vinaigrette that accompanies the summer salad, the choice of 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.
Slimming or health: the choice is yours
“If you want to get the most out of your salads, you need to pair them with non-fat dressings,” said Mario Ferruzzi, lead author of the study. “Yes, low-fat dressings are better for the line, but you lose some of the goodness of vegetables.”
In this study, 29 people were fed salads seasoned with either a butter sauce (high in saturated fatty acids), canola or olive oil (monounsaturated fatty acids), or corn oil (polyunsaturated fatty acids). They were then given a blood test to check for the presence of carotenoids in their body. 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, conducted by the University of Iowa, which indicated that carotenoids were more bioavailable (i.e. easily absorbed by the intestines) when paired with non-dairy sauces. 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 even throughout the day.
