What Cooking Oils Help To Build Bone?

Bone density is a key measure of long-term health that usually goes unrecognized until problems occur. Many seniors, especially women, suffer from weak bones caused by loss of calcium and other nutrients. This condition, known as osteoporosis, leaves bones unnaturally brittle and prone to breakage. Regular exercise and a diet rich in bone-building nutrients can help prevent loss of bone density. Calcium is the best known component of a bone-healthy diet, but cooking oils including canola and olive oil also have a part to play.

Nutrients and Bone Health

A number of nutrients are important to long-term bone health, either because they're used in bone growth or because they promote the absorption of nutrients that are. Aside from calcium, nutrients essential to bone health include phosphate and vitamins A, D and K. A 2002 meta-study by Pennsylvania State researcher R.L. Corwin also revealed a positive correlation between consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and long-term bone health. A 2000 study published in the "Journal of Clinical Nutrition" also linked very low-fat consumption to poor bone density, while the Corwin study demonstrated that high-fat consumption was also undesirable.

The Role of Oils

Given that these studies implicate high- and low-fat diets in poor bone density, bone health seems to demand moderate consumption of dietary fats. Vegetable oils are the most suitable source of general-purpose fats for dietary purposes, since they are high in unsaturated fats and in some cases contain enough omega-3 fatty acids to be significant. Fish oils are very high in fat-soluble vitamins including A and D -- and are among the highest in omega-3s -- but are of limited use for cooking. Although general-purpose cooking oils contain fewer of these nutrients, they're effective in transferring fat-soluble vitamins from other foods.

Vitamins

While none of the major cooking oils are useful sources of vitamins A or D, several contain enough vitamin K to contribute to bone health. According to figures listed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutrient database, 1 tablespoon of canola oil provides 12 percent of the RDA for that vitamin, while the same amount of olive oil provides 11 percent and corn oil contains a full 32 percent of the RDA. Any of these oils will transfer fat-soluble vitamin A from vegetables such as carrots, winter squash and leafy green vegetables.

Essential Fatty Acids

The 2002 study cited earlier established omega-3 fatty acids as a factor in bone health. These are found primarily in fish oils and flax oil, which are limited in their culinary use. However, canola oil and soybean oil contain enough omega-3s to provide a modest benefit in long-term use. So do mid-oleic and high-oleic sunflower oil, as opposed to linoleic varieties, which are high in omega-6 fatty acids.