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On World Heart Day, MRPC to encourage use of mustard oil to reduce CVD
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Friday, 27 September, 2013, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Bengaluru
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fiogf49gjkf0d On the occasion of World Heart Day (an annual observance which falls on September 29), the Mustard Research and Promotion Consortium (MRPC) – which is based in New Delhi – will promote the use of mustard oil (considered indispensable to Indian cuisine), as a cooking medium, owing to its health benefits, which include helping reduce cardio-vascular disease (CVD) by approximately 70 per cent (according to a study whose findings were published in the Journal of Preventive Cardiology).
The Consortium indicated that mustard oil is the most preferred medium of cooking for housewives in northern and eastern India. This is largely because of the special aromatic flavour that the oil lends to the food, alongside its preservative property. In India, it is impossible to pickle in any other oil, except mustard oil. It is an excellent preservative not just for pickles, but also for sauces, ketchup and chutneys. Therefore, food cooked with mustard oil would keep the heart healthy.
Pragya Gupta, senior scientist and assistant director, MRPC, said that mustard oil is considered to be the healthiest edible oils, due to their ideal ratios of fatty acids and natural antioxidants, adding that of all the vegetable oils, mustard oil is the most nutritious and healthiest. “In Indian diets, the main source of energy is cooking oil. The fats from vegetable oils are essential as they contain essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K, for the metabolic process of cells,” she added.
Mustard oil has the lowest level of saturated fats, a high content of mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and a moderate content of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). It contains Omega 3 and 6 in an ideal ratio. These are beneficial for the prevention and controlling of coronary heart diseases (CADs). Worldwide, there is a preference for oil extracted at a low temperature, as it retains Omega 3, Omega 6, Vitamin E and natural antioxidants.
Due to its balanced essential fatty acid ratio, mustard oil reduces the risk of cardiac diseases and enhances the quality of life. Vivek Puri, managing director, Puri Oil Mills Ltd (the makers of P Mark, one of India's leading mustard oil brands), and a member of MRPC's governing council, said, “Mustard oil has traditionally been viewed as a poor man's oil because it was made available through the public distribution system (PDS).”
“However, in the last few years, the scientific and medical fraternities have rediscovered the numerous health benefits that mustard oil offers, particularly its proven role in keeping the heart healthy. Since the perception of it has changed, several cardiologists, dieticians and nutritionists have begun to recommend mustard oil. And, as a result, many consumers have returned to the mustard fold,” he added.
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