Cooking with High Temperature? Beware of Coronary Heart Disease

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Coronary heart disease is one of the main causes of high mortality in the world. Based on data from the World Health Organization, it is known that as many as 7.4 million people die each year from coronary heart disease.You may have tried to avoid coronary heart disease by applying a healthy lifestyle, exercising, not eating food junk food, and prepare your own food at home. But did you know that preparing your own food at home still causes you to be at risk for heart disease?

Yes, this can happen if you are wrong in the process of cooking food. You can experience coronary heart disease if you eat foods cooked at high temperatures. How could this happen?

The danger of cooking with very high temperatures

In a study conducted in the South Asian region, researchers from the University of Edinburgh compared two types of cuisine originating from the South Asian region with dishes from China. Then from this study it is known that people from South Asia tend to experience more coronary heart disease than Chinese people. This is considered because dishes in South Asia are more often cooked at higher temperatures compared to cooked dishes in the Chinese region.

In China, there are not too many cases of coronary heart disease because it is considered a safe cooking process. People in China tend to cook food by steaming and boiling, while people in the South Asian area eat foods that are processed by frying, baking, or burning using high temperatures.

Why can high temperatures when cooking cause coronary heart disease?

The researchers concluded that cooking food at high temperatures can produce toxic substances that appear in these foods. Toxins are produced because the process of cooking with high temperatures is called neo-formed contaminants (NFCs). NFCs will occur when a food is cooked with a temperature of more than 150 degrees Celsius. The toxic types of NFCs that are produced from the cooking process with high temperatures are of two types, namely:

1. Trans fatty acids (TFAs)

This is an unsaturated fat that undergoes a hydrogenation process which usually occurs in processed food products. However, this hydrogenation process can also occur in vegetable cooking oil which is used in the process of cooking with high temperatures. If food experiences this process, then the food will contain trans fat which can cause blood vessels to clog and increase levels of bad cholesterol in the body.

2. Glycation end-products (AGEs)

This is a compound that occurs when a carbohydrate and protein breaks down into a simpler form due to exposure to high temperatures. Actually AGEs are produced by the body, but in very limited quantities. When you eat foods that contain AGEs, the amount will increase in the body. AGEs itself has a direct effect on the performance of insulin which can result in someone experiencing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Apart from that, AGEs can increase the risk of arterial blockage resulting in coronary heart disease. AGEs are very high in red meat, sweet foods, or chocolate cooked in very high temperatures, which is more than 150-170 degrees Celsius.

How do you avoid foods that contain NFCs?

Your efforts to provide and prepare your own food at home, without having to buy food, have made an effort to prevent various diseases from coming. But it's better if you cook the food in the right and good way. Reduce cooking by frying and roasting at very high temperatures of more than 150 degrees Celsius. Cooking by steaming, sautéing, or boiling is better because the maximum temperature point that will be achieved with the process is approximately 100 degrees Celsius.