Canola Oil is a an oil from genetically modified rape seed. Rape seed has been fine for industrial use, but it is unfit for human consumption. Well, that was before genetic modification and high temperature refining that lowered (hopefully eliminated) Erucic Oil and increased Oleic Acid, and, voila, you go from a bug repellant to "health food".
Another reason I wanted you elsewhere is your posting of the above "Urban Legend." Your summary is from a bogus Email that has been circulating for years on the Web. You should check your facts before posting nonsense like this. Here ARE the facts, so that it will be more difficult for you to mislead others. Wikipedia has a good section on this oil: en.wikipedia.org. Here is another direct refutation.
Now, here's the real Urban Legend scoop...
"The name 'Canola' is derived from 'Canadian oil'" - True, one of the few facts the email gets right. 'Rape oil,' even 'Rapeseed oil' has obvious limitations in marketing potential, hence the invention of 'Canola'. Another name the oil is known as, 'lear oil' (for low erucic acid rapeseed), doesn't have much marketing pizzazz either.
"Canola oil is an industrial oil" - True, one of the components of canola oil is erucic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. Erucic acid is used as a high temperature lubricant in industrial processes and has other applications. However, erucic acid is unpalatable and can have health effects in high concentrations. Canola oil sold for human consumption contains very little erucic acid, between 0.5% to 1%.
The implication that a food product that contains a very small amount of a substance used in industrial processes is unfit for human consumption does not stand up to a cursory reading of the contents label of almost any processed food.
"Rapeseed oil is related to the spread of 'Mad Cow Disease'" - False, 'Mad Cow Disease', more formally known as 'Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy', is caused by a virus-like form of protein called prions. The outbreaks of BSE in Europe and South America have been caused by the use of feed containing animal byproducts from BSE infected animals.
"'[Rapeseed] oil was the source of the chemical warfare agent mustard gas'" - False. Mustard gas is Bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide and is manufactured by chemical processes that have nothing to with the plant or oil. The 'mustard' in mustard gas was due to its smell - it smelled like mustard - rather than its origin.
"The Canadian government and industry paid the FDA $50 million dollars to have canola oil placed on the 'Generally Recognized As Safe' (GRAS) list of foods" - False, the Food and Drug Administration placed low erucic acid canola oil on its GRAS list in 1985 following its normal procedures. At that time and as part of its normal GRAS procedures, the FDA performed its own testing of canola oil to verify its safety. After an extensive search, the Urban Legend Zeitgeist could find no evidence that FDA procedures were not followed or that any money was paid to the FDA to place canola oil on the GRAS list.
"Canola oil is linked to a fatal degenerative disease Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD)" - False, actually, erucic acid is one component of an oil preparation used in the treatment of ALD. Lorenzo's Oil contains 20% erucic acid and helps to lower the levels of very long chain fatty acids caused by ALD. Of course, canola oil contains much less erucic acid (less than 2%) and is certainly not the cause of ALD.
"Canola oil emits cancer causing chemicals" - True, but that's not quite the whole story. Scientific studies have shown that unrefined rapeseed oil, as well as refined canola oil, give off some mutagenic compounds that increase the risk of lung cancer. However, the study also notes that
"In the United States, where cooking oils are usually refined for purity, additional studies should be conducted to further quantify the potential risks of such methods of cooking."
Other studies show that unrefined Chinese rapeseed oil emits a small fraction of the carcinogen 1,3-butadiene as found in cigarette smoke. Again, the studies have evaluated Chinese rapeseed oil, not refined canola oil.
The scientific data showing a link between chemicals emitted by canola oil at high heats is not overwhelming at this time. Still, until more definitive evidence is found, it's probably best not to use canola oil in frying or cooking at high heat.
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Whenever you receive a disturbing email like this one, check the Urban Legend site (http://www.urbanlegends.com) before you forward it to a friend, it just may be another hoax. And please note, the last part of this does say not to use canola oil in frying or cooking at high heat, so keep that in mind. We use Olive oil for just about everything now, it seems to be the healthiest choice.
Edited by Michelle Jones
blessingsforlife.com |
