Nexus - 0905 - New Times Magazine-pages

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GREAT CON-OLA THE Canola oil has a number of undesirable health effects when used as the main source of dietary fats, although these side effects can be offset by the intake of saturated fats. Editor's Note: Several mentions of animal experiments are made in this article. NEXUS does not agree with the practices of animal experimentation and vivisection, but we also don't want to censor the articles we publish. his is what the food industry says about canola oil... Canola oil is widely recognised as the healthiest salad and cooking oil available to consumers. It was developed through hybridisation of rapeseed. Rapeseed oil is toxic because it contains significant amounts of a poisonous substance called erucic acid. Canola oil contains only trace amounts of erucic acid and its unique fatty acid profile, rich in oleic acid and low in saturated fats, makes it particularly beneficial for the prevention of heart disease. It also contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, also shown to have health benefits. This is what detractors say about canola oil... Canola oil is a poisonous substance, an industrial oil that does not belong in the body. It contains "the infamous chemical war- fare agent mustard gas", haemagglutinins and toxic cyanide-containing glycosides; it causes mad cow disease, blindness, nervous disorders, clumping of blood cells and depression of the immune system. How is the consumer to sort out the conflicting claims about canola oil? Is canola oil a dream come true or a deadly poison? And why has canola captured so large a share of the oils used in processed foods? THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF CANOLA Let's start with some history. The time period is the mid-1980s and the food industry has a problem. In collusion with the American Heart Association, numerous government agencies and departments of nutrition at major universities, the industry had been promoting polyunsaturated oils as a heart-healthy alternative to "artery-clogging" saturated fats. Unfortunately, it had become increasingly clear that polyunsaturated oils, particularly corn oil and soybean oil, cause numerous health problems, including and especially cancer.’ The industry was in a bind. It could not continue using large amounts of liquid polyun- saturated oils and make health claims about them in the face of mounting evidence of their dangers. Nor could manufacturers return to using traditional healthy saturates—butter, lard, tallow, palm oil and coconut oil—without causing an uproar. Besides, these fats cost too much for the cut-throat profit margins in the industry. The solution was to embrace the use of monounsaturated oils, such as olive oil. Studies had shown that olive oil has a "better" effect than polyunsaturated oils on cholesterol lev- els and other blood parameters. Besides, Ancel Keys and other promoters of the diet—heart idea had popularised the notion that the Mediterranean diet—rich in olive oil and conjuring up images of a carefree existence on sun-drenched islands—protected against heart disease and ensured a long and healthy life. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) sponsored the First Colloquium on Monounsaturates in Philadelphia. The meeting was chaired by Scott Grundy, a prolific writer and apologist for the notion that cholesterol and animal fats cause heart disease. Representatives from the edible oil industry, including Unilever, were in attendance. The Second Colloquium on Monounsaturates took place in Bethesda, Maryland, early in 1987. Dr Grundy was joined by Dr Claude Lenfant, head of the NHLBI, and speakers included Dr Fred Mattson, who had spent many years at Procter & Gamble, and the Dutch scientist © 2002 by Sally Fallon Email: SAFallon@aol.com and Mary G. Enig, PhD Email: marye@enig.com © 2002 by Sally Fallon Email: SAFallon@aol.com and Mary G. Enig, PhD Email: marye@enig.com NEXUS = 31 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2002 www.nexusmagazine.com