Is Canola Oil bad for you?

TAKEAWAY FACTS:

Although canola oil does contain some level of omega-3s, those omega-3s are not well absorbed by the body and actually make the oil more susceptible to oxidation compared to other oils. To make matters worse, most canola oil is used for cooking and frying (especially in restaurant settings), where harmful byproducts are more likely to build up.

Given the prevalence of cooking oils, we should also consider their environmental impact. Like other vegetable oil crops, canola oil is reliant on mono-crop agriculture, which has a significant impact on land and water use and poses a threat to biodiversity.

When it comes to cooking, look for oils with high monounsaturated fat content that are stable at high temperatures. Avoid foods fried in vegetable oils at restaurants, and don’t use vegetable oils for frying more than once.

INTRO

Canola oil (also known as rapeseed oil) is one of the most popular oils used in the United States today, with consumption rates nearly doubling over the last 13 years alone. Historically, it’s had a reputation of being a “heart-healthy” fat, and is generally less expensive than other similarly marketed oils like olive or avocado oil. Over the last several decades, canola oil has exploded in popularity and is used in homes, restaurants, and packaged foods all over the world.

What is Canola Oil?

Canola oil is a product of the 1980’s, born into the boom of “heart-healthy” alternatives to saturated fats. While olive oil was touted as a promising solution to heart health with its high monounsaturated fat content, oil industry producers in North America were forced to grapple with their inability to grow enough olive trees to produce the olive oil necessary to supply the trend. They needed a less expensive olive oil alternative, and they found it in canola oil.

Is Canola Oil Vegetable Oil? and Is it "Healthy"?

Because canola oil is derived from the seeds of the inelegantly named rape plant, it is considered a seed oil. And all seed oils are considered vegetable oils.

Canola oil is the world’s third-most produced vegetable oil behind soybean oil and palm oil. Today, Canada remains the largest producer of canola oil worldwide.

In addition to the concerns that canola oil consumption may pose for your health, canola oil production poses serious environmental concerns.

Due to its reliance on mono-crop agriculture, excessive amounts of land and resources are devoted to oil crops like canola. Canola oil production is also closely tied to the widespread use of harmful pesticides.

In 2013, the European Union banned the use of pesticides that were commonly used on the bright yellow flowers of the canola crop. The ban came after scientists linked the use of pesticides on crops like canola to an alarming 30% decline in the populations of bees and other essential species.

About 90% of canola oil today comes from seeds engineered to be resistant to herbicides like RoundUp. There are a host of controversies surrounding the use of herbicide-resistant crops in the agricultural industry, from the questionable impact on humans, animals, and the planet to Roundup’s known carcinogenic properties.

Is Canola Oil Bad For You?

Despite its origins as a healthful solution to the rhetoric around saturated fat and heart disease in the mid-1980s, canola oil’s fatty acid composition may have you questioning whether it’s actually all that healthy.

While it’s extremely difficult to link singular foods to complex health outcomes, the oil you choose to cook with is likely to play a significant role in your diet and it is worthwhile to find one you can feel good about.

Existing research is mixed when it comes to linking canola oil intake with health benefits and risks.

For instance, one 2018 cross-sectional study found an association between canola oil intake and metabolic syndrome in young adults, while a 2013 review (sponsored by the canola oil industry) concluded that canola oil consumption improves markers of cardiovascular health.

With a food like canola oil, considering how it’s consumed is likely more important than simply studying whether or not people use it. Importantly, multiple experimental studies have linked heated canola oil with markers of inflammation in animals.

Heating canola oil, especially heating it to high temperatures or for a long period of time, is likely to contribute to worse health outcomes than using it as an oil in a salad dressing. You are wise to be wary of restaurant foods fried in vegetable oil, where prolonged use is a common practice.

This article was shortened from the longer article here by Zero Acres