You may have noticed that there is always someone giving food advice on social media. Sometimes the advice is good and comes from good professionals, but it is also common for it to be unreliable and aimed at engaging through the panic it generates. A favorite target of nutrition influencers is oils, and canola oil is on the rise right now.
Some argue that canola oil could pose health risks due to its extraction process, which uses a chemical called hexane. This compound is widely used by industry as a solvent. Its use ranges from petrol production to cleaning products.
Therefore, many people fear the consequences it would have on our body. In fact, canola oil uses this product in its extraction process and is actually toxic in large quantities, but this is not the case when producing oil for culinary use.
Several studies have already been carried out and no hexane residues have been found in significant quantities to the point of causing problems for human health.
Canola oil could cause heart disease
A second weakness of canola oil would be the possible heart problems caused by its use. This hypothesis was put forward after studies were published showing the onset of diseases in rats that had consumed this oil.
This would happen due to the presence of a fatty acid called erucic acid, present in canola oil. However, these studies are old and have already begun to be questioned, which weakens the arguments of influencers who cite this research as sufficient to get people to avoid consuming this product.
Currently, the levels of erucic acid found in canola oil are considered safe.
Canola oil consumption has killed several people in Spain
In fact, Spaniards were very scared of the consequences of consuming canola oil in the 1980s. Many people died and many more faced – and still face – physical consequences after consuming canola oil.
But you have to be careful when using this tragic story to speak negatively about this product. It wasn’t the canola oil that caused all this problem, but a contaminant that poisoned the liquid.
Since the company responsible remained silent for a long time, many theories arose as to what was happening and causing the deaths. Even though the whole case has already been clarified, many of these theories still survive in the imagination of many people.
We can compare this case to the story of the Brazilian brewery Backer. Ten people died from poisoning when a chemical spilled into beer, which doesn’t mean the drink caused the problem.
Finally, canola oil detractors attack GMO crops. Throughout the world this topic has sparked debate and is still discussed, but research indicates that the consumption of these plants does not pose health risks and can increase the supply of products.
Having made these clarifications, the question remains: can I use canola oil? The answer is yes. So far there is no evidence that it is harmful to health.
However, it is an oil and should be consumed in moderation. OH! Its nutritional value is not so different from that of soybean oil as to justify the change: among the good fats, in fact, it only has omega 3, while soybean oil also has omega 6.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
