New study backs switch to olive oil, says BHF

A new study has highlighted the health benefits of using unsaturated fats when preparing meals.

Results of research which monitored the eating and cooking habits of more than 40,000 Spanish adults over 11 years found no link between the consumption food fried in olive oil or sunflower oil, and the risk of coronary heart disease or death.

According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the work, published by the British Medical Journal, provides more evidence to support giving up the use of saturated fats.

BHF senior heart health dietitian Victoria Taylor said: "Participants in this study used unsaturated fats such as olive and sunflower oil to fry their food.

"We currently recommend swapping saturated fats like butter, lard or palm oil for unsaturated fats as a way of keeping your cholesterol down and this study gives further cause to make that switch."

However, Ms Taylor stressed the fact that the study had looked at people consuming a Mediterranean diet, not an English one, and said the conclusions may have been different if the study had been UK-based.

She said eating a well-balanced diet, with plenty of fruit and seasonal vegetables and just a small amount of high fat foods, is the best way to maintain a healthy heart.