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If steaming or boiling kale doesn’t appeal to you, new research suggests that drizzling it with oil may help your body absorb far more of its nutrients.
Researchers from the University of Missouri said their digestion model showed limited absorption of several carotenoids — nutrients linked to eye, heart and immune health — when kale was tested without added dietary fat.
The team from Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources used a lab model that mimics human digestion to test kale four ways: raw, cooked, mixed with dressing or sauce after cooking, and cooked directly in sauce.
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Their findings, published this month in the journal Food Nutrition, challenge the common thought that kale is healthiest when eaten plain and raw.
In the model, raw kale on its own yielded low levels of absorbable carotenoids, and heating the vegetable without added fat reduced those levels further.
But the researchers found that adding an oil-based dressing or a specially designed “nanoemulsion” sauce substantially increased carotenoid bioaccessibility.
The simulated digestion system showed higher carotenoid availability regardless of whether the kale was raw or cooked and whether the oil was added before or after heating.
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“Kale is a nutrient-rich vegetable that contains carotenoids, including lutein, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which have beneficial effects on overall health,” lead researcher Ruojie (Vanessa) Zhang, an assistant professor at Missouri’s Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, said in a university statement.
“The problem is our bodies have a hard time absorbing these nutrients because they are fat-soluble rather than water-soluble.”
“We don’t want to pour cups of oil, but certainly if you drizzle some olive oil, you’ll get better absorption of [carotenoids] — and it tastes a lot better.”
Since fat-soluble nutrients require dietary fat for absorption, pairing kale with sources such as olive oil or an oil-based dressing may increase the amount the body can access.
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Improved absorption may also influence the availability of other compounds in kale, including vitamins C and E and various phytochemicals, though the study did not assess health outcomes.
Nicolette Pace, a registered dietitian nutritionist from New York, said the best approach is “plants to plants” — or pairing vegetables with plant-based fats like avocado, olive oil, sunflower oil, peanut butter or flax to help boost nutrient absorption. She said small amounts of butter work too.
“We don’t want to pour cups of oil, but certainly if you drizzle some olive oil, you’ll get better absorption of [carotenoids] — and it tastes a lot better,” Pace told Fox News Digital.
The findings highlight a potential approach to increasing nutrient bioaccessibility in vegetables, though the results apply to a simulated system rather than direct human absorption.
The researchers also noted that the results could inform future development of dressings or sauces designed to enhance nutrient availability, pending further study.
Past research has reported similar trends, with some studies showing that dietary fats can enhance nutrient absorption from vegetables.
The nanoemulsion sauces, made of microscopic oil droplets, were particularly effective at increasing carotenoid release in the model.
Past research has reported similar trends, with some studies showing that dietary fats can enhance nutrient absorption from vegetables.
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An Iowa State University study found that adding oil to salads sharply boosted absorption of key nutrients, and University of Barcelona researchers reported that cooking vegetables in extra-virgin olive oil helps release more beneficial compounds.
Other studies note that different fats have varying effects and that heat can degrade some vitamins, underscoring that results may depend on preparation and fat type.
While the idea that fat aids the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients is well established, the Missouri study provides additional detail specific to kale.
The study relied on a simulated digestion model that cannot fully replicate human physiology, and its results are specific to the kale variety and nanoemulsion tested.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.
Read the full article here
