Cooking Oils and Cancer

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

Here's a suggestion for discussion:

For a long time it has been known that consumption of some edible

oils is associated with increased cancer incidence. It is many years

since I first heard that corn oil was carcinogenic. More recently

the PHS has found an association between ALA and prostate cancer.

So what is the mechanism that is involved? I can think of at least

five possibilities:

A) The fat molecules are themselves carcinogenic.

The carcinogen is a substance that is often associated with the

oil, not the fat molecule itself. (Aflatoxin as a possible example).

C) The carcinogen is associated with the method used to extract the

oil from the seeds. (Solvents perhaps?).

D) Perhaps while the fat molecules in their natural state may not be

carcinogenic, when subjected to heat or oxidation in processing or

storage perhaps some small proportion of the oil is converted into a

carcinogenic compound.

E) Eating highly calorically dense fats uses up too much of our

daily caloric allocation and thereby deprives us of the anti-cancer

attributes of the less calorically dense foods we would otherwise be

eating.

Regarding the above, two issues: first, are there other broad

possible types of explanation, in addition to the five suggested?

Second, what input do people here have as to which is the most likely

explanation for the apparently observed associations?

Thanks for any input. If we knew the reason we could probably find a

way to avoid the problem - for those who believe that eating some

high fat products in small quantities, nuts and seeds for example,

may be desirable.

Rodney.

[Now I give my left arm half an hour's rest!]