A few months ago, a patient was talking about Ghee. I hadn’t heard of it let alone what benefit
it may have on health. That got me to do
a little research on the topic.
Ghee is very similar to butter in that they are both made
from the fat of whole milk. When whole
milk is allowed to settle the cream naturally rises to the top –now you know
where the phase came from. The cream that
is skimmed off the top is churned to a point that it solidifies creating the
product we know as butter. Butter is predominately
fat (about 80%) with the majority being of the saturated variety.
Traditionally, Ghee production involves taking the cream and
heating it under low heat for a long period to extract as much of the moisture leaving
only the fat. In India, where Ghee is
still used to cook with, the steps in the process are much more rigid than those
of its American counterpart, Clarified or Drawn Butter.
The benefits of Ghee are not well researched in part because its use is ethnocentric and because saturated fat has been isolated as a
prime suspect in cardiovascular disease.
Some studies suggest that Ghee is a good source of Vitamin K and D. Mohammadifard N, et al
found that consumption of Ghee increased Apo lipoprotein A
which is a major protein component of High Density Lipoprotein HDL, the good
cholesterol that helps protect us against cardiovascular disease.
Ghee does contain a greater percentage of medium and short
chain Fatty acids than butter. The importance
of this fact is that our bodies are more adept at metabolizing medium and short
chain fatty acids than long chain fatty acids which are linked to cardiovascular
disease.
When it comes to cooking, Ghee has a higher flashpoint than
butter. Sometimes coined “Smoke Point” the
higher flashpoint the better the oil is for cooking at high heats. Ghee can be used safely at temps between
400-500 degrees F while butter is typically safest at 375 degrees F. The health
significance is that at smoke or flash point the components of the oil are
being de-natured or broken down. This creates
unhealthy side effects and no oil or fat should be consumed under these conditions.
In closing, I personally do not see a need for Ghee in our
diets. That doesn't mean Ghee is harmful but in my opinion not essential. Coconut oil contains
approximately 12 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon and is in most grocery
stores. We can get saturated fat from
consuming other animal products that are readily available and already in our
diet. As far as cooking at High Heat, Grape Seed Oil is very good and contains little if any CV risk factors. As always, the benefits of any one
category of food or product will never over shadow a diet that is balanced.
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