Guest guest Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Hi Francesca: The only safflower oil I find regularly available here IS the desired high linoleic variety. I don't suppose you have the same brands down where you are as we have here, but the brand here is 'President's Choice - Too Good to be True', fwiw. Right on the front of the square, plastic, one quart bottle it says: " 78% Polyunsaturates " . Rodney. > > > > > We recently discussed the Hegsted equation and used it to calculate > > the effect of various fats on serum cholesterol. We have seen various > > Pubmed publications that support the conclusion that oils high in > > linoleic acid such as grape seed oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil > > can play a significant role in reducing blood cholesterol levels. > > > > However, read labels carefully when selecting oils high in linoleic > > acid. Not all oils are created equal regardless of their plant source. > > Thre are two considerations: 1) the quality of the oil, and 2) the > > fatty acid content of the oil. > > > > The best quality oils are unrefined cold pressed or expeller pressed > > oils packed in dark glass bottles filled with an inert gas. These oils > > recommend refrigeration after opening. The labels may contain the > > words " high in polyunsaturated fats " and sometimes include the > > percentage of linoleic acid. If the label says " high in > > monounsaturated fats " , the oil is high in oleic acid and may not lower > > blood cholesterol levels. The Nutrition Facts Label provides the best > > guide for choosing the oils because it lists the grams of saturated, > > polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat per serving. Make sure that > > the quantity of polyunsaturated fat is at least 3 times greater than > > the monounsaturated fat. For example, in a serving of 14 grams, if > > there are 3 grams of monounsaturated fat, there should be at least 9 > > grams of polyunsaturated fat. > > > > I just examined 12 different brands of oils at a Whole Foods > > supermarket to see if they met this requirement and got the following > > results: > > > > * Grape seed oil: All 4 out of 4 met the requirement. > > * Sunflower oil: Only 2 out of 3 met the requirement. > > * Safflower oil: Only 1 out of 5 met the requirement. > > > > The oils that did not meet the requirement had 5 times less > > polyunsaturated fat than monounsaturated fat, approximately the same > > as olive oil (2 grams of polyunsaturated fat, and 10 grams of > > monounsaturated fat in a 14 gram serving). > > > > In these days of selective breeding, genetic engineering, and > > marketing hype you have to be more alert. I was amazed to find that > > most of the safflower oil in the stores is the high-oleic variety. > > > > Tony > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Well Francesca, I have never seen any clear evidence that 'cold pressed' etc makes any difference, healthwise, so I really do wonder if it is all a marketing effort designed to get people to pay a premium price for the exact same product. My father once toured a local light bulb factory. They showed him the raw materials coming in at one end of the plant and showed him how it was all processed into the bulbs along an assembly line. As the finished bulbs emerged from the (single) production line they were directed into three packaging lines, each with differently designed boxes. My father noticed that one was the super-cheap brand sold in Woolworths, and the others he knew were sold for four times the price in 'high end' stores. When my father commented to them: " so they are all the identical product? " their answer was: " of course " . So, when I see some serious evidence that dark bottles, etc make a difference (my safflower oil spends 98% of its lifetime in my refridgerator so I don't see how it possibly could make a difference in my case) I will start paying attention to such details. For now all I am interested in is making sure it is the high polyunsaturated version of safflower oil from a reputable source. Of course I may be behaving differently a year from now, depending on what I learn, if anything, between now and then. Rodney. > > > > > Hi Francesca: > > > > The only safflower oil I find regularly available here IS the desired > > high linoleic variety. > > > > I don't suppose you have the same brands down where you are as we > > have here, but the brand here is 'President's Choice - Too Good to be > > True', fwiw. Right on the front of the square, plastic, one quart > > bottle it says: " 78% Polyunsaturates " . > > > > Rodney. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Hi Francesca: Yes. It certainly would be good to hear any information people have on this. As an example, I would certainly sit up and take notice if we found a study by people with no obvious axe to grind, in some species (hamsters might be good) which showed better health, or longer average lifepan, when supplemented with the 'whole enchilada' safflower oil, compared with a control group supplemented with the same amount of the ordinary straight product. But I doubt epidemiology has got this far yet. Rodney. > > > > > Well Francesca, I have never seen any clear evidence that 'cold > > pressed' etc makes any difference, healthwise, so I really do wonder > > if it is all a marketing effort designed to get people to pay a > > premium price for the exact same product. > > > > My father once toured a local light bulb factory. They showed him > > the raw materials coming in at one end of the plant and showed him > > how it was all processed into the bulbs along an assembly line. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Rodney, You are not likely to see " clear evidence " that 'cold pressed' oil makes any difference healthwise. It is like eating fresh fish and fish that has been around for a couple of days. You will probably do fine with either one, usually. Of course, the more time that passes between the catching and the eating, the greater chance you have of consuming something that is not healthy. High LA oil that has been sitting in clear bottles on a shelf for a while is not likely to be as good as one that has been kept properly. 'Cold pressed' means that the seeds are not heated to more than about 60 degrees C. This is enough to make the oil flow more easily when pressed, but it is not so hot that it will accelerate oxidation of the oil. Keep in mind that polyunsaturated oils will spontaneously combine with oxygen in the air. This is the reason why good quality oils are topped off with an inert gas, usually nitrogen, to prevent oxidation. Polyunsaturated oils are also prone to light-activated cross-linking. When exposed to light, the double bonds absorb the energy, create free radicals and combine with adjacent molecules, creating a thicker, gummy product. Good oils try to avoid both of these sources of deterioration by using dark bottles and inert gases. I have been thinking why it is easier to find grape seed oil high in LA than sunflower or safflower oil. I think that the answer is that both sunflower and safflower are increasingly being grown for the production of cooking and salad oils. Since high oleic oils are more stable, both sunflowers and safflower are being selectively bred to produce the high-oleic oil. However, grape seeds are the by-product of wine production. There is no commercial advantage to growing wine grapes whose seeds are high in oleic acid. The main goal is to have good grapes for wine, so the grape seeds remain relatively unaffected by commercial selective breeding manipulation. Tony === From: " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...> Date: Sat Feb 26, 2005 4:18 pm Subject: Re: How to Buy Oil Well Francesca, I have never seen any clear evidence that 'cold pressed' etc makes any difference, healthwise, so I really do wonder if it is all a marketing effort designed to get people to pay a premium price for the exact same product. My father once toured a local light bulb factory. They showed him the raw materials coming in at one end of the plant and showed him how it was all processed into the bulbs along an assembly line. As the finished bulbs emerged from the (single) production line they were directed into three packaging lines, each with differently designed boxes. My father noticed that one was the super-cheap brand sold in Woolworths, and the others he knew were sold for four times the price in 'high end' stores. When my father commented to them: " so they are all the identical product? " their answer was: " of course " . So, when I see some serious evidence that dark bottles, etc make a difference (my safflower oil spends 98% of its lifetime in my refridgerator so I don't see how it possibly could make a difference in my case) I will start paying attention to such details. For now all I am interested in is making sure it is the high polyunsaturated version of safflower oil from a reputable source. Of course I may be behaving differently a year from now, depending on what I learn, if anything, between now and then. Rodney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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