Helath Fads From Hell - Canola Oil

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http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2000-4.html

 

 

Health Fads from Hell - Canola Oil

 

Because of the public scare over animal fats, sales of vegetable oils

of all types increased. It was the established wisdom that those oils

high in polyunsaturated fatty acids were especially beneficial

(animal fats are high in saturated fatty acids).

 

The obsession with polyunsaturated versus saturated fats led

researchers and nutritionists to overlook some of the other features

of vegetable oils that we now know are crucial to health, including:

 

(1) susceptibility to rancidity

(2) ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids and its relevance in

inflammatory diseases and immune system function

(3) possible presence of irritating or toxic compounds in particular

plant oils.

 

Unlike the case of trans-fatty acids, for which there is massive

amount of research data, there is much less documented scientific

research on canola oil consumption in humans, specifically. Some

sources (unverified) claim that the Canadian government and industry

paid the U.S. FDA $50 million dollars to have canola oil placed on

the GRAS ( " Generally Recognized As Safe " ) list, which allowed the

canola industry to avoid the lengthy and expensive approval process,

including medical research on humans.

 

However, experimental rats that were fed canola oil " developed fatty

degeneration of the heart, kidney, adrenals, and thyroid gland. On

withdrawing the canola oil from their diets, the deposits dissolved

but scar tissue remained on all vital organs. " [ref. 3a]

 

In the absence of direct research studies of canola oil and human

health, many concerned nutritionists and biochemists have attempted

to analyze the canola oil situation on the basis of current knowledge

of the biochemistry of fats and oils. While hard-nosed canola

industry spokespersons may claim such commentary to be speculative,

in the absence of proof of safety, anyone concerned about their

family's health should pay close attention to the various arguments

and warnings. [refs. 3a - 3i; for canola industry position, see refs.

3j, 3k]

 

The Canola Council of Canada has published a report [ref. 3k] that

focuses heavily on the high polyunsaturated fatty acid content of

canola oil and the presumed benefits of polyunsaturated oils on

various blood parameters (platelet phospholipids, platelet

aggregation, eicosanoid production, clotting time). In spite of the

many scientific references listed at the end of the report, the

author studiously avoids discussion of the toxic effects mentioned by

many nutritionists and biochemists, and, instead, attempts to link

many of the benefits of Mediterranean-type diets high in olive oil to

diets high in canola oil, when in fact, no such evidence is

presented, and canola oil has never been part of a traditional

Mediterranean diet.

 

Concerns about the risks of using canola (rapeseed) oil focus on

several aspects:

 

(1) the presence of long-chain fatty acids, including erucic acid,

which are thought by some to cause CNS degeneration, heart disease,

and cancer

(2) the high temperatures needed in the refining process to make

canola oil palatable, which lead to formation of trans-fatty acids

(3) miscellaneous undesirable chemical constituents (thioglycosides

and thiocyanates) whose effects are unclear, as their concentration

in the refined product is probably very low.

 

Although Chinese and Indian peoples have long used rapeseed oil in

cooking, it was not refined and processed to the extent of modern

commercial methods, and it was never considered to be a high quality

oil for human consumption. Ayurvedic physicians have for thousands of

years classified olive, almond, and sesame as the best oils for human

health, and have considered safflower, soybean and rapeseed oils to

be undesirable for human consumption except perhaps when no other oil

sources were available.

 

Recent epidemiological studies of high lung cancer rates in Chinese

women suggest that wok cooking with rapeseed oil is responsible,

rather than tobacco smoking, which was only a weak factor. Chinese

rapeseed oil tended to produce the highest emissions of the

potentially carcinogenic or mutagenic compounds 1,3-butadiene,

benzene, acrolein, and formaldehyde, when compared with soybean oil

and peanut oil. [ref. 3n]

 

Canola oil contains a long-chain fatty acid called erucic acid, which

is especially irritating to mucous membranes; canola oil consumption

has been correlated with development of fibrotic lesions of the

heart, CNS degenerative disorders, lung cancer, and prostate cancer,

anemia, and constipation. [ref. 3a, 3b]

 

Canola oil derives from the plants Brassica campestris and B. napus,

which have been selectively bred to substantially reduce the erucic

acid content. However, some health professionals feel that there is

still too much present in current canola oil products for safe use.

Some critics of canola oil focus on the fact that rapeseed oil was

originally used as an industrial lubricant and known to be unfit for

human consumption, although many vegetable oils have been used in

industrial applications as well as in foods.

 

The long-chain fatty acids found in canola have been found to destroy

the sphingomyelin surrounding nerve cells in the brain, in some cases

leading to a degenerative brain condition remarkably similar to

mad-cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy); in advanced cases

the brain tissue develops a Swiss-cheese-like appearance, full of

holes. Illnesses and conditions that have been associated with canola

oil consumption include loss of vision (retinal capillaries are very

sensitive and easily damaged), and a wide range of neurological

disorders. [ref. 3a]

 

The high temperatures used in canola refining will damage many of the

essential fatty acids, which are much more susceptible to damage by

heat than saturated fats. (Heat may convert many of the unsaturated

double bonds to the " trans " configuration.) While high-quality

essential fatty acids are required for human health, in their damaged

or rancid forms they become harmful.

 

Additional problems with canola oil include the presence of minute,

but potentially dangerous, amounts of thioglycosides, which have

thyrotoxic effects. [ref. 3m] To reduce the concentration of these

compounds requires processing with alkalinizing agents plus high

temperatures; unfortunately, the high temperatures used in processing

have other undesirable effects, the most serious of which is the

conversion of unsaturated fats to the trans form.

 

Rapeseed has been selectively bred and genetically engineered [ref.

3a] in an attempt to reduce the toxic components and processing

methods were developed to further reduce the concentration of

undesirable compounds.

 

Prior to its entry into the " health " food market, it was known as

rapeseed oil, but savvy marketing professionals knew that the health

food market, heavily dominated by young, college-educated women,

would not purchase a repulsive-sounding product called rapeseed oil.

The name of the selectively bred variety was changed to canola (as in

" Canadian oil " ; it has been heavily promoted by Canadian government

and agricultural organizations) oil; the name rolls off the tongue

with a mellifluous sound. [3.1]

 

Recommendations

 

The biochemistry of plants and natural food products is often

complex; the total effect of a given food on human health is

dependent upon many chemical constituents and their interaction with

biochemical pathways of the body. To radically alter our diets based

on scientific evidence regarding only a few aspects of this

biochemistry is like cooking in the dark.

 

Common symptom reactions to unhealthy oils and fats, or to an

unhealthy balance of the types of fats in one's diet include joint

pain and aggravation of arthritic conditions, a general tendency to

have increased tissue irritability and inflammation, and, in the case

of unhealthy fats such as hydrogenated oils and excessive amounts of

fried foods, abdominal fullness and indigestion.

 

While these conditions also may be due to other factors, quality of

fats and oils is important. How one feels immediately to within

several days after eating specific types of fat is often a useful

indicator of whether one's fat consumption is healthy or unhealthy.

 

Avoid canola oil; there is too much doubt about its safety.

Recommended oils and fats, which are essential nutrients, include

moderate amounts of meat in the form of clean sources (organically

grown, etc.) of beef, lamb, and other red meats, poultry, fish

(especially sardines and mackerel), plus olive, almond, or sesame

oil; of all the vegetable oils, olive oil is probably the safest and

best for health reasons. All of these have been in traditional use in

various cultures for thousands of years. Individual differences in

metabolism will dictate needs for more or less of these types of oils

and fats.

 

 

References

 

Most of the following references are available on

the Internet. Further scientific literature

citations are included in many of these

references. We believe it is important for readers

to have quick access to source information and to

make their own informed decisions.

 

 

[ref. 3a] " Canola - Canada's Oil Spill Onto The

American Market " ; by Janet Allen; c1997-2000.

http://www.sightings.com/politics6/canola.htm

 

[ref. 3b] " Canola Oil - Deadly for the Human

Body! " ; by Jim Lynn;

http://www.karinya.com/canola.htm

 

[ref. 3c] Canola Oil - Is It Safe? Evidence Points

to Big Trouble " ; Hilary A Thomas, 1999 September

05;

http://www.healthresearchbooks.com/articles/canola.htm

http://www.healthresearchbooks.com/articles/canola2.htm

 

[ref. 3d] " Blindness, Mad Cow Disease and Canola

Oil " ; by John Thomas; c1996.

http://www.mind-trek.com/arti-int/961016.txt

 

[ref. 3e] " Food Safety Files 5: Beware of Canola

Oil + Canola oil poison + Plastics as a Food

Group? + Fluoride: The Silent Killer " ; by Jim

Lynn; c1996.

http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000/FoodSafetyFiles5.htm

 

[ref. 3f] " Be Careful of Canola " ; based on

information in Townsend Letter for Doctors and

Patients, 1998 June.

http://www.garynull.com/Documents/spectrum/be_careful_of_canola.htm

 

[ref. 3g] " Canola Report " ; by Tom Valentine,

c1996.

http://www.dldewey.com/columns/canola2f.htm

 

[ref. 3h] " Beware of Canola Oil " ; by Joseph

Mercola; c1997-2000.

http://www.mercola.com/2000/jan/16/dangers_canola_oil.htm

 

[ref. 3i] " Canola Oil Update " ; by Mary Enig. (A

rebuttal to ref. 3c.)

http://www.mercola.com/2000/jan/23/canola_oil_update.htm

 

[ref. 3j] " Canola Oil " ; Whole Foods Market; c2000.

(A rebuttal to criticisms of canola oil.)

http://www.breadcircus.com/issues/canola.html

 

[ref. 3k] " Canola Oil: Nutritional Properties " ; by

Bruce McDonald; last updated 1999 October 31;

Canola Council of Canada;

http://www.canola-council.org/pubs/oilprop.htm

 

[ref. 3m] " Studies on a long-term use of rapeseed

products in diets for boars. Pathomorphological

changes in the reproductive system, liver and

thyroid gland. " Rotkiewicz T, et al.; Reprod Nutr

Dev 1997 Nov-Dec;37(6):675-90.

 

http://web-mcb.agr.ehime-

u.ac.jp/library/know/rec_disc/rec_data/related/Engl

ish/goitrigen01.htm

 

[ref. 3n] " Wok Cooking and Lung Cancer Risk " ;

reprinted from the 1995 July issue of Medical

Sciences Bulletin, published by Pharmaceutical

Information Associates, Ltd.;

http://pharminfo.com/pubs/msb/wok.html

 

 

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