Prevention News
Full-Fat Salad Dressings Increase Nutrient Absorption
Your Salad Dressing Needs More Fat
Why that diet dressing isn’t doing you any favors
By Mandy Oakland
Before you splash your lunchtime salad with low-fat dressing, know this: Your “healthy” dressing may be doing more harm than good, according to a new study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.
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Researchers at Purdue University served up veggie salads topped with various amounts and types of dressing: canola oil (monounsaturated fatty acids, or “MUFAs”), soybean oil (polyunsaturated fat), or butter (saturated fat). After eating, the 29 study participants had their blood checked for absorption of the carotenoids—antioxidants such as lutein, lycopene, and beta-carotene—that are found in veggies. These disease-fighting nutrients slash the risk of cancer and heart disease, safeguard bone density, prevent macular degeneration, and soak up damaging compounds.
Here’s what researchers found: The salads with the greatest amount of fat—20 grams—yielded the highest absorption of carotenoids.
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MUFA-rich canola oil set the salad dressing gold standard with the best absorption rates of lutein and beta-carotene. Still, the researchers say, “The source of lipid had less impact on the absorption of carotenoids than amount of lipid.”
Bottom line: Fat-free salad dressings negate the whole point of eating a salad. “You need a little fat to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K and other nutrients," says Katherine Tallmadge, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Plus, low-fat and fat-free dressings are often crammed with calories and sugar. So if you want the most out of your salad, ditch the diet dressing and reach for a healthy serving of old-fashioned fat.
