Here are three posts of mine from another newsgroup (all from the same thread):
"People's intake of fatty acids -- which have been linked to cardiovascular disease and other conditions -- can be substantially affected by changing the type of vegetable oil they use, according to researchers at the University of Illinois and Pennsylvania State University.
Substituting canola oil and canola-based margarine for vegetable oils and spreads, such as corn, cottonseed and soybean, "increases compliance with dietary recommendations for saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid and alpha-linolenic acid," the researchers write in their study of data from nearly 9,000 U.S. adults.
According to the researchers, switching to canola-based products 100 percent of the time would decrease adults' saturated fatty acid intake by up to 9.4 percent; increase their intake of monounsaturated fatty acid by 27.6 percent; and increase their alpha-linolenic acid intakes by 73 percent. Total consumption of calories, total fat and cholesterol would not change..."
So, because they saw "links" due to their own faulty assumptions and illogical classification schemes (calling oxysterors "cholesterol" and lard a "saturated fat"), they now want you to switch away from what they used to call heart-healthy polyunsaturates to what they now call heart-healthy monounsaturates, but they never explained what was wrong with their initial claim. Canola appears to be at least as biochemically unstable as the omega-6 rich oils, (assuming they are all of the usual, highly-refined grade). The only interpretation that makes sense, down to the molecular level, is the one involving free radical activity and biochemical stability. You can do your own experiment to see how dangerous canola oil is. Simply buy several mice and feed half of them a diet rich in canola oil. Give the other half fresh coconut oil instead of the canola oil. See what happens. You can also put some canola oil in a dish and let it sit there for a few days. Do the same thing with other oils of your choice. See which ones start to smell and taste rancid the quickest, and which ones start to get "tacky" and harden up quickest. These are the fat sources to avoid, not the ones with the "links" the "experts" think they see.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001102430.htm
Post #2:
And notice what is stated at the end of this "report:"
"The study was supported by the U.S. Canola Association."
Post #3:
One thing my several investigations have taught me is that it's so common for "experts" to complicate matters when things are quite simple. With nutrition, the one huge mistake is ignoring the basic biochemistry that is undeniable. That is, there is no reason to consume a biochemically unstable oil when you don't need to - oil painters have known for hundreds of years that you must use the highly unsaturated oils for this very reason. The free radical activity allows the painting to "dry" within a reasonable amount of time - some even put their paintings out in the sun when they wanted quicker "drying." Having arachidonic acid or other VLCPUFAs in your LDL makes it much more likely to get attached by macrophages, leading to atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels, for example. It's a straightforward lipid peroxidation hypothesis of the relationship between diet and "disease," and very easy to test. All the existing evidence is consistent with this hypothesis, unlike any other hypothesis (often, "experts" don't seem to even care if there are experiments that directly contradict their claims), and yet it gets almost no "mainstream media" coverage. Instead, there are the usual "debates" between Ornish and Atkins advocates, for example, both of which give dietary advice that can be very dangerous in the context of the lipid peroxidation hypothesis. |