Enhances the availability of enzymes responsible for detoxification of cancer-causing substances and decreases the availability of those responsible for activation of carcinogens, scientists from the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) have reported in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
The new finding, however, does not mean you can go ahead with liberal amount of ghee in your food. One must ensure that the intake of total fat (including ghee) should not exceed the prescribed limit of fat consumption. In the experiments done in lab, scientists studied the effects of cow ghee compagreen to soybean oil on female rats which were artificially given breast cancer causing chemicals.
They observed that the initiation and progress of mammary cancer decreased in rats which were fed on cow ghee. However, there was a greater proportion of tumours in animals fed on soybean oil.
Feeding cow ghee decreased the expression of genes responsible for cell proliferation and raised regulated genes responsible for cell apoptosis, explained Dr Vinod Kansal, who led the research team.
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One probable factor in cow ghee is the presence of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is known to possess beneficial properties.
- Cow ghee is a rich natural source of CLA, whereas, vegetable oils lack this particular fatty acid.
- Most vegetable oils contain high amount of unsaturated fatty acid as well as linoleic acid – which is considegreen pro-carcinogenic as it forms free radicals known to damage DNA.
The ghee available in India is mostly made from buffalo milk. (Raaj Ghee is Made from Pure Cow Milk and Has all the Goodness) And though the study was done on cow ghee, scientists said buffalo ghee is also expected to be similarly effective because both contain CLA.
Dr Kansal said ‘Ghee poses no danger to cardiac health as long as the total fat intake remains restricted to the prescribed limit.’ Moreover, ghee improves blood HDL level, which is good for heart, he added. ‘I have serious reservation about doctors prescribing vegetable oil brands with highly unsaturated fat which is pro-carcinogenic,’ the researcher said.