Omega-9 Oils Deliver on 2010 Dietary Guidelines

With two-thirds of Americans either obese or overweight, the food industry has the opportunity to play a key role in public health by selecting healthier ingredients. The recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans affirm that the type of fat consumed is more important than the amount of fat. Not only do the new recommendations call for a reduction in saturated fat intake, they encourage the consumption of “good fats” by replacing saturated fat with heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

 

The health profiles of Omega-9 Canola Oil and Omega-9 Sunflower Oil, developed by Dow AgroSciences, allow foodservice operators and food manufacturers to help their consumers meet the new “good fats” recommendation. Omega-9 Oils have the lowest saturated fat among zero trans fat oils and are uniquely high (>70%) in monounsaturated (omega-9) fat. The Omega-9 Solutions Team has worked with the foodservice and food processing industry for years to remove more than 750,000 pounds of saturated and trans fats from the food supply. With the new Dietary Guidelines, the importance of including heart-healthy omega-9 fats in product and menu formulations has increased. According to the guidelines, even a 5% decrease in saturated fat, replaced by monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, results in meaningful reduction in associated cardiovascular risks.

Using Omega-9 Oils also will help reduce solid fat intake, which is another recommendation included in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Nineteen percent of calories in the U.S. diet come from solid fats, and the guidelines recommend a gradual reduction to a target of 5 to 15% of calories from solid fats and added sugars combined. Solid fats include coconut oil, palm kernel oil and hydrogenated oils due to their high saturated fat status. As a strategy to achieve this goal, the guidelines recommend replacing some current solid fat consumption with healthier oils, like Omega-9 Oils.