Is Enova Oil the Answer to a Healthy Cooking Oil?

Healthy eating can be a challenge particularly when the average American is tempted by delicious tasting but high calorie food at every turn. From hot dogs to apple pie, there's a tasty American treat just waiting to be enjoyed. Unfortunately, those tempting treats can also add inches to the waistline. One of reasons why fried foods are so high in calories is the oil they're cooked in. Most standard cooking oils have around 120 calories per serving and about 15 grams of fat, regardless of type. Although certain types of oil such as olive oil are higher in heart healthy monounsaturated fats, this doesn't make it a low calorie oil. An oil that entered the market relatively recently called enova oil appears to have some advantage from a health standpoint.

What makes enova oil different from conventional oils? Although this cooking oil has a similar number of calories and fat grams to standard cooking oils, it appears to be metabolized differently by the body. Most cooking oils are rich in a chemical component known as triacylglycerols or TAG's. TAG's tend to be metabolized and stored in the body as fat. In contrast, enova oil is high in diacylglycerols or DAG's which are broken down by the liver and not stored as fat. Enova oil also appears to lower lipid levels in the blood, particularly triglycerides.

Most of the fat found in enova oil is of the polyunsaturated variety rather than the more heart healthy fats found in olive oil. This may be one of the primary disadvantages of using enova oil since polyunsaturated fats have been correlated with increased inflammation and a possible increased cancer risk. Although use of enova oil in place of other cooking oils may have some triglyceride lowing potential and a subtle weight loss effect when used over a long period of time, it would not appear to be as heart healthy as olive oil with its abundance of monounsaturated fat.

Although enova oil has been deemed safe by the FDA for use in cooking and as a suitable oil for use in salad dressings, it does contain more trans fat than conventional cooking oils. Although the amount of trans fat is small, if large quantities are used on a daily basis, it could have negative effects on heart health. The other drawback is price. This oil is more expensive than your average cooking oil at around $5.00 per bottle.

The bottom line? The weight loss benefits of enova oil appear to be subtle and the triglyceride lowering effects, although suggestive in some studies, haven't been conclusively proven. When you consider the fact that that this oil is high in polyunsaturated fats rather than monounsaturated ones and the fact that there's a small amount of trans fat, olive oil would appear to be a healthier alternative. It might be best to save your money and stick with tried and true olive oil for the time being.