Zevenbergen H, de Bree A, Zeelenberg M, Laitinen K, van Duijn G, Flöter E
Unilever Research and Development, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.
Ann Nutr Metab. 2009;54 Suppl 1:15-24. doi: 10.1159/000220823. Epub 2009 Jul 30.
Fat is generally a highly valued element of the diet to provide energy, palatability to dry foods or to serve as a cooking medium. However, some foods rich in fat have a low fat quality with respect to nutrition, i.e., a relative high content of saturated (SFA) as compared to unsaturated fatty acids, whereas others have a more desirable fat quality, i.e., a relative high content of unsaturated fatty acids as compared to SFA. High-fat dairy products and fatty meats are examples of foods with low fat quality, whereas vegetable oils (tropical oils such as palm and coconut oil excluded) are products with a generally high fat quality. The aim of this paper is to explore the nutritional impact of products made of vegetable oils, e.g. margarines and dressings, and how they can be designed to contribute to good health. Since their first industrial production, the food industry has endeavored to improve products like margarines, including their nutritional characteristics. With evolving nutrition science, margarines and cooking products, and to a lesser extent dressings, have been adapted to contain less trans fatty acids (TFA), less SFA and more essential (polyunsaturated, PUFA) fatty acids. This has been possible by using careful fat and oil selection and modification processes. By blending vegetable oils rich in the essential PUFAs alpha-linolenic acid (vegetable omega-3) or linoleic acid (omega-6), margarines and dressings with both essential fatty acids present in significant quantities can be realized. In addition, full hydrogenation and fat rearrangement have enabled the production of cost-effective margarines virtually devoid of TFA and low in SFA. Dietary surveys indicate that vegetable oils, soft margarines and dressings are indeed often important sources of essential fatty acids in people's diets, whilst providing negligible amounts of TFA and contributing modestly to SFA intakes. Based on empirical and epidemiological data, the public health benefit of switching from products with a low fat quality to products with a high fat quality can be predicted. For example, switching from butter or palm oil to a soft margarine shows a substantial improvement in the nutritional quality of the diet. These simple, practical dietary adaptations can be expected to contribute to the healthy growth and development of children and to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.
脂肪通常是饮食中一种非常有价值的成分，可提供能量、增加干燥食物的适口性或用作烹饪介质。然而，一些富含脂肪的食物在营养方面的脂肪质量较低，即与不饱和脂肪酸相比，饱和脂肪酸（SFA）的含量相对较高，而其他食物的脂肪质量更理想，即与SFA相比，不饱和脂肪酸的含量相对较高。高脂肪乳制品和肥肉是脂肪质量低的食物的例子，而植物油（不包括棕榈油和椰子油等热带油）通常是脂肪质量高的产品。本文的目的是探讨植物油制成的产品，如人造黄油和调味品的营养影响，以及如何设计这些产品以促进健康。自首次工业化生产以来，食品行业一直在努力改进人造黄油等产品，包括其营养特性。随着营养科学的发展，人造黄油和烹饪产品，以及程度较轻的调味品，已被调整为含有更少的反式脂肪酸（TFA）、更少的SFA和更多的必需（多不饱和，PUFA）脂肪酸。这通过仔细选择和改性油脂得以实现。通过混合富含必需多不饱和脂肪酸α-亚麻酸（植物性欧米伽-3）或亚油酸（欧米伽-6）的植物油，可以生产出同时含有大量两种必需脂肪酸的人造黄油和调味品。此外，完全氢化和油脂重排使得能够生产出几乎不含TFA且SFA含量低的经济高效的人造黄油。膳食调查表明，植物油、软质人造黄油和调味品确实常常是人们饮食中必需脂肪酸的重要来源，同时提供的TFA量可忽略不计，对SFA摄入量的贡献也不大。基于经验和流行病学数据，可以预测从低脂肪质量产品转向高脂肪质量产品对公众健康的益处。例如，从黄油或棕榈油转向软质人造黄油可显著改善饮食的营养质量。这些简单、实用的饮食调整有望有助于儿童的健康成长和发育，并减轻心血管疾病的负担。
