Canola oil has practically taken over as the food processing industry’s oil of choice. Whether it’s mayonnaise, chips, or salad dressings, canola oil is usually the first, second, or third ingredient on the list. Unfortunately, the health dangers of canola oil are far beyond what we’ve been led to believe.
So if there aren’t any actual health reasons to use it, why would it be so widely used throughout the food industry? As with most reasons certain ingredients are used over others – the price. Canola oil is extremely inexpensive to grow and harvest. It is also very easy to grow, due to its genetic modifications and the fact that insects won’t go near it.
Canola oil was first created in the early 1970s as natural oil. But in 1995, Monsanto created a genetically modified version of canola oil. By 2009, over 90 percent of the Canadian canola oil crop was genetically engineered (1).
What is Canola Oil?
Canola oil comes from a descendant of the rapeseed plant, a member of the Brassica genus, along with some of our favorite vegetables like kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Rapeseed oil was put on the market for human consumption in the 1950s, but not many people wanted to consume it due to its strong flavor and off-putting color.
Scientists at the time began to discover that erucic acid, one of the major fatty acid components of the oil (over 50%), was damaging to heart tissue. Meanwhile, olive oil started being marketed as the next big thing in health. So what did marketers do for rapeseed oil? Give it a makeover of course! After some selective breeding and careful marketing, rapeseed oil was now low in erucic acid, high in oleic acid (just like heart-healthy olive oil), high in omega-3 fats, and also neutral tasting. The name rapeseed was replaced with canola (the term can from Canada and ola for oil) (2).
While canola oil has been marketed as a health-food oil, low in saturated fats, and a source of omega-3 fatty acids, it is very far from that. Canola oil is not only genetically modified, but it is highly processed and refined, both of which contribute to major health problems in the body.
8 Health Dangers of Canola Oil
Canola oil isn’t the healthy oil you’ve been led to believe. There are so many dangers of canola oil, that anyone in their right mind would stay away from it. Here are just a few reasons why canola oil should never set foot in your home again.
1. Canola Oil is Hydrogenated Oil
If they’re not “cold-pressed” or “extra-virgin,” the oil is considered refined. This process includes caustic refining, bleaching, and degumming – all of which involve high temperatures or chemicals that are damaging to the human body. Last but not least comes the deodorization process. Because canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, it becomes easily rancid and foul-smelling when subjected to oxygen and high temperatures. The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids by turning them into trans-fatty acids (3).
If you’re consuming any vegetable oils that are oxidized from heat and light in processing, you are also exposing your body tissues to oxidized or rancid products. This contributes to degenerative diseases and chronic inflammation.
2. Genetically Modified Product
Almost all canola oil is produced from genetically modified crops. More than 90% of all canola oil is produced from genetically engineered crops. While genetic modification was successful at lowering the erucic acid content, it also increased the amount of oleic acid.
Health concerns linked to oleic acid include:
– Retarded growth (banned in infant formulas)
– Abnormalities in blood platelets
– Damage from free radicals
– Increased risk of developing certain cancer types
Genetically engineered foods also pose some very serious health concerns like allergic reactions, immunosuppression, toxicity, and loss of nutrition through the foods we eat (4).
3. Increased Risk of Developing Cancer
Canola oil is extremely unstable under heat, light, and pressure, which causes oxidation and releases free radicals inside the body. When canola oil is heated (aka. when we cook with it), it produces high levels of butadiene, benzene, acrolein, formaldehyde, and other nasty compounds. These chemical compounds, combined with increased free radicals create the perfect environment for cancer growth.
Researchers have found that cancer cells feed on the oleic acid in canola oil. The acid causes the cancer cells to become stronger and maintain malignancy (5). Additional research has also shown that oleic acid promotes tumour progressions (6).
With the amount of free radicals released in canola oil after cooking, it’s no wonder this oil is a trigger for cancer growth. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that play a major role in cancerous cell mutation (7).
4. Contributes To Heart Disease
While genetic modification has lowered erucic acid levels in canola oil, it is still a major source of the acid. Erucic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid that has been linked with heart damage, specifically Keshan disease (a thickening and scarring of connective tissue within the heart). Studies have shown that in areas where people are prone to Keshan, erucic acid levels are higher, and selenium levels are lower (8).
Canola oil is also capable of promoting high levels of inflammation in the body, as well as arterial calcification. Any oil that is partially hydrogenated has the capability to do so. As you might have guessed, systemic inflammation and calcification are major risk factors for coronary heart disease (9).
5. Interferes with Healthy Brain Function
A new study out of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and published in the journal Scientific Reports has linked canola oil with a decrease in memory and learning indicative of Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia (10). The study found that the brains of canola-oil treated mice had higher amounts of amyloid plaques as well as diminished contact between brain neurons.
Canola oil, being an inflammatory food, contributes to poor brain function. Chronic inflammation, as you might already know, is detrimental to the body. It attacks healthy cells, blood vessels and tissues instead of protecting them. It can shut down energy production in brain cells and slow down the firing of neurons, contributing to ADHD, anxiety, brain fog, depression, memory loss and Alzheimer’s (11).
6. Hypertension and Strokes
As a major contributor to inflammation in the body, canola oil takes a toll on our cardiovascular system – particularly blood pressure. Studies have found that canola oil shortens the life span of stroke-prone and hypertensive animal subjects.
One study explored the relationship between rats fed canola oil and rats fed non-canola oil diets. The catch? All rats were bred to have high blood pressure and proneness to stroke. Rats who were fed canola oil died sooner, and rats fed the non-canola oil-based diets lived longer (12).
Another study published in Toxicology Letters looked at the effects of canola and soybean oil on blood coagulation time and erythrocytes (type of red blood cell) in stroke-prone hypertensive rats. The study found that there was a “canola oil-induced shortening of blood coagulation time and increased fragility in [red blood cell membranes],” which may trigger strokes in animal subjects who are stroke-prone (13).
7. Compromises Our Detox Organs
Being a genetically modified food product, canola oil takes a toll on our liver and kidneys.
A 2011 review of 19 different studies that involved mammals being fed genetically modified soy and corn for a period of 90 days, found that GMO foods can disrupt kidney and liver function. The review, published in Environmental Sciences Europe, stated that in the trials mentioned, kidney function was reduced by 43.5%, while liver function was reduced by 30.8%.
Vegetable oils also lack oxidative stability, so they quickly turn rancid if left untreated. Food manufacturers found their way around this problem by adding synthetic antioxidants like TBHQ, BHA and BHT. When consumed in large doses, these preservatives can cause liver tumours, as well as liver enlargement (15, 16).
While the preservatives in canola oil are not enough to cause adverse effects, the accumulation of such products is enough. We can easily surpass acceptable preservative limits if our diet subsists of lots of processed foots. The amounts build up over time, and as a result, our health suffers.
If you want your detox organs to work properly, avoid canola oil, processed foods with added vegetable oils, and other GM products.
8. May Hamper Normal Growth in Children
Erucic acid in canola oil was the main reason canola oil was banned from use in infant formula. The erucic acid in canola oil is harmful to infants, due to an inability to properly break it down. While the FDA previously made canola oil illegal for use in baby formula, that isn’t the case anymore. As of a few years ago, canola oil made it to the generally recognized as safe list (17), meaning that infant formula companies can use all the canola oil they want in their formula.
Best Oils to Substitute for Canola Oil
So which oils can you use? It depends on what you’re using it for!
1. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is best when it is cold-pressed and virgin. Try your best to avoid refined coconut oil. Coconut oil has a high heat threshold, meaning it doesn’t turn into trans-fatty acids when heated. Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids, too, which support a healthy nervous system, and also encourage fat loss.
2. Olive Oil
While I would never personally cook with olive oil (due to its delicate nature), it makes a great non-cooking option. Look for an organic extra-virgin or cold-pressed olive oil that’s available in dark-colored glass. Some fake olive oils are mixed with cheaper, GMO vegetable oils, so always make sure it is GMO-free and organic.
3. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil has a high smoke point like coconut oil, so it can safely be cooked with at high temperatures. Alternatively, you can also use this oil in its raw form on salads and the like.
4. Sesame Oil
Sesame oil is another great option to cook with. It has a high melting point and isn’t hybridized like canola and other vegetable oils. Sesame oil works great in stir-frys and makes a great salad dressing with coconut aminos and some ginger!
Bev says
Have any of the readers actually done your own research on coconut oil. I did after purchasing some following this recommendation, so surprised to read the extremely high saturated fat content. Went to reputable research and coconut oil is NOT recommended except in rare occasional consumption, such as a Thai recipe. I certainly agree that canola oil is not a healthy oil. But to recommend coconut oil as a replacement without adequate warning to the high risk of increasing bad cholesterol makes one question this persons credentials and advice
Carly Fraser says
Saturated fat is divided into different types, based on the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. About half of the saturated fat in coconut oil is the 12-carbon variety, called lauric acid. That is a higher percentage than in most other oils, and is probably responsible for the unusual HDL effects of coconut oil (aka. it has a better effect on cholesterol than a negative one). But coconut oil is more than just a fat. If you get a high-quality extra-virgin coconut oil (not refined), it will contain many antioxidants and other substances, so its overall effects on health can’t be predicted just by the changes in LDL and HDL. As with all oils, I always recommend to never over-do it, and to always use sparingly.
Greg says
It’s best to avoid oil all together! Oil is the most dense form of calories on the planet, contains no nutrients, is processed and is 100% fat. Furthermore people have been trained and conditioned by advertising to believe it is necessary for baking and frying when in fact it is not.
Carly Fraser says
I agree. I rarely consume oil, and when I do, I use it incredibly sparingly.
Edith says
What oil do you use when you make breads like pumpkin Etc
Carly Fraser says
Any other oil would work great! I sub coconut oil for anything that calls for vegetable oil.
Gen Michaud says
If it’s so bad why is it still on the market…
Carly Fraser says
You could say that for just about every product on the market that is bad for you…
Catherine M Schmude says
Still you haven’t answered the question…If it is as bad as you say it is …WHY DO they still continue to sell it in the stores? Makes no sense to me.
Carly Fraser says
Hey Catherine – I think I did answer your question. There are many food products on the shelves that shouldn’t be considered a food product. Canola oil is cheap to produce, and I don’t really think the government cares if its unhealthy. Almost every restaurant uses canola oil in their food. Why is McDonalds still allowed to sell their products to consumers? It’s up to the consumer to make the choice to not eat what they believe won’t make them feel good inside their bodies. If you’re in tune with how you feel after you eat, you’ll notice after eating a meal with canola oil that you don’t feel your optimal best.
Brian says
Gen the better question is if it’s so bad why are we not seeing everyone going though all these supposed health issues. If it was actually proven to harm humans NOT rats it would be banned. I’m not a canola oil lover but It is sold at every grocery store so I think we’d know if it was a major health concern through more significant sources other than some random bloggers website lol
Carly Fraser says
Hey Brian. The fact is, is that we are seeing everyone going through all these health issues. Why do you think everyone is so sick? It’s the food they’re eating and the drugs they’re taking the environments they’re exposed to. EVERYONE is sick.
Robin clarke says
Ehst is a good frying oil? For something like chicken don’t fry it much but when I get s taste for it i would like and alternative
Carly Fraser says
Coconut oil is great for frying.
Ewa says
Avocado oil is best
Sharon says
Is organic canola oil still genetically modified? Does organic canola still cause all of these health issues?
Carly Fraser says
Organic Canola Oil is produced through a mechanical expeller-pressed method (where the oil is literally squeezed out of the seed), so solvents and hexane are not used and are not present. As for the hybrid of the plant, most seeds are now hybrid, even if organic.