Canola oil, MAGIC library, research

[Guest guest]

So I did a google search, which of course always pulls up the items

where words appear a high number of times. I read through a couple

alarming emails, and three urban myth websites all saying that the

canola oil being toxic emails are myths. I checked some other

medical sites which also said the same thing. But info was

difficult to read and understand. Then I found this posting, which

put the medical lingo into language a bit more understandable for

me. But some could argue that " Alice " is just some PR person for

the manufacturer, pretending to be someone else.

Bottom line is that each family will have to make choices for their

children. Each of us can do the research, become educated, and then

we will each feel comfortable with whatever decision we make for our

own child.

At MAGIC, we parent volunteers know that searching through the

medical journals for every article pertaining to RSS and SGA is

difficult, times the hundreds of us. So for things that pertain to

RSS and short SGA kids, we find the articles and include them in our

library (we almost always put every article in there regardless of

positioning; however, we stopped putting genetics articles in the

library because most were single case studies, nothing absolute has

been found, and most of the language is beyond what any of us can

understand. With IUGR/SGA, there is beginning to be an explosion of

articles; we will try and find the ones that use short SGA subjects

and include those studies).

Good luck, all of you in your research. And good luck deciding if

you want to use canola oil or not!

Jenn

Dear Alice,

I recently received an alarming e-mail regarding the dangers of

eating Canola oil. Apparently it is made from rapeseed, which is

supposedly highly toxic and has been shown to develop cancer in

rats. The e-mail also referred me to an article by a Tom Valentine

called " The Canola Oil Report. " I located the report, read it, and

quite frankly, threw out the remaining canola oil I had in the

kitchen. Is there any truth to this article? And if there is, surely

this is criminal.

Thank you,

Confused

Dear Confused,

Canola oil comes from a hybrid plant developed in Canada during the

late 1960s - 1970s using traditional pedigree hybrid propagation

techniques (not genetically modified) involving black mustard, leaf

mustard, and turnip rapeseed. The original rapeseed plant was high

in erucic acid, which is an unpalatable fatty acid having negative

health effects in high concentrations. Canola oil contains less than

1 percent erucic acid. Actually, another name for canola oil is LEAR

(Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed) oil.

Your confusion about canola oil's safety is understandable. While

the Internet can be a great source of information, many rumors and

urban legends have circulated on web sites and been passed along in

e-mails. Urban legends usually warn of dire consequences from

something perfectly innocent; they often relate a story about

someone who had such a terrible experience with something, yet that

person almost always remains anonymous. These often frightening

stories or accusations usually lack enough detail to make

scientific, logical evaluation of the claim. The scare tactics of

canola oil fit into this scenario.

Some of the information circulating on the Internet states that

canola oil causes endless maladies: joint pain, swelling, gum

disease, constipation, hearing loss, heart disease, hair loss... the

list goes on. Canola oil has undergone years of extensive testing to

assure its safety. In truth, canola oil contains essential fatty

acids that our bodies need and cannot make on their own. Over 90

percent of the fatty acids present is the long chain unsaturated

variety that has been proven beneficial to health.

It has also been claimed that canola oil is used in making mustard

gas, a poison. This is totally untrue. Actually, mustard gas doesn't

even come from the mustard plant; it was so named because it smells

similar to mustard. Canola oil has allegedly been used as an

industrial lubricant and ingredient in fuels, soaps, paints, etc.

The truth is that many vegetable oils, such as corn, soybean, and

flax, are also used in these applications. That doesn't make those

oils unhealthy or dangerous. Canola oil has also been accused of

killing insects, such as aphids. Again, all other oils can do the

same, not by poisoning insects, but by suffocating them.

Some people have blamed the Canadians for paying the United States

government to have canola oil added to its GRAS (Generally

Recognized As Safe) list. There is absolutely no evidence of this.

In China, rapeseed oil cooked at very high temperatures was found to

give off toxic emissions. In the U.S., the combination of refined

oils, added antioxidants, and lower cooking temperatures prevents

this from occurring. In China, the oil contains contaminants, is not

refined, and has no antioxidants.

As you can see, misinformation can be used to scare people. For more

information on canola oil, see the Canola Council of Canada web

site.

Alice