CANOLA OIL--POISON OR A BENEFIT FOR YOUR HEART

If olive oil comes from olives, and sesame oil from sesame seeds, does canola oil come from canolas?

No, there's no such thing as a canola. It's a made up word that appeared out of nowhere and is not found in any references until about 1970. It's an abbreviation of "Canadian Oil Low Acid"--CAN-O-L-A.

The modern canola oil as we know it is a product of traditional plant breeding technology, genetic engineering (seeds exposed to radiation to change their genetic make-up) and clever marketing.

The flip side of the canola coin reads: "rape oil". This oil is produced from the "rape seed" plant, part of the mustard seed family of plants. You must admit that canola oil sounds better than rape oil.

Rape seed is the most toxic of all food-oil plants. Insects will not eat it and only a few birds will, though it is thought to shorten their lives because it is deadly poisonous.

Canola is a semi-drying oil that is used as a lubricant, fuel, soap and synthetic rubber base and as an illuminant for the slick color pages you see in magazines. Some say it's an industrial oil and does not belong in the body!

Canola oil has some very interesting characteristics and effects on living systems--it has been tested on rats and mice for several years with worrisome results, but never on humans.

For example, it forms latex-like (plastic?) substances that cause the red blood corpuscles to clump. Loss of vision is a known side effect of rape oil which slowly attacks the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The deterioration takes years, some reports have put it at 10 to 20 years of use of the product. Rape (canola) oil causes emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation, irritability and blindness in animals and possibly (?)---humans.

In the late 1960s, plant biologists created canola by crossing four varieties of rapeseed to reduce the levels of erucic acid (which makes oils go rancid quickly) and glucosinolate (which tastes bitter). The oil pressed from this new seed had a lower level of saturated fat, and a higher level of "good" fat, than other similar neutral-tasting oils like safflower, sunflower and grapeseed.

Scientists and growers in Canada (which produces the majority of canola worldwide, though the US, Australia and Europe also contribute) felt that a slight alteration would create a more viable crop. Seeds were put through natural plant breeding methods that have been used for thousands of years to change their genic makeup and a new form of plant seed was born. The Canola Plant. There is no evidence that any form of irradiation was used to make a GM (genetical mutated) seed at that time.

However, there are now different varieties of canola, such as Roundup Ready Canola, that have been genetically modified to make them more tolerant to specific herbicides or insecticides. Oil from GM canola has been approved for food use in Australia only. So if you have concerns about genetically modified food you should check with the manufacturers to find an oil sourced from non-genetically modified crops.

Both food agencies of the Canadian and US governments approve the use of canola oil and have found it safe to use. Other governments, including those of Japan and Australia, also approve. There has been no solid proof to date that canola oil is harmful to humans.

A popular article decrying the hazardous results of canola oil states:

"Studies with lab animals were disastrous. Rats developed fatty degeneration of heart, kidney, adrenals, and thyroid gland. When canola oil was withdrawn from their diets, the deposits dissolved but scar tissue remained on all vital organs."

This was an experiment with disastrous results. Why? Because the natural diet of a rat is made up of grains, raw fruits and vegetables and is very low in fatty acids. Introduce a load of heavier fats into a rat's diet and all sorts of health problems will develop. Later studies demonstrated that cooking oils other than canola (specifically, sunflower seed oil) produced the same results in laboratory rats, as well as demonstrated that the digestive system of a rat is rather different from that of a human.

There is some legitimate controversy, however, that we need to cover.

More than 60% of the canola crop in Canada (where most of world crop is grown) comes from genetically modified seed. This is plant seeds that have been exposed to radiation to change their genetic or DNA make-up.

Genetic seeds are illegal in Europe and opposed by activists throughout the world because with the current technology there is no way to ensure that genetically modified organisms will remain under control, and the use of this technology outside secure laboratory environments carries potentially unacceptable risks to both farmed and wild ecosystems.

An example of this is a strain of the canola seed from Roundup, a company that deals with planting seeds and produces herbicide spray. That strain is now immune to the herbicide sprays and is continuing to grow in the fields even after trying to be eracatided. The company predicts the plant to have a life expectancy of 10 years of re-growth and are worried about possible cross-breeding in the field that may produce an even more resistant strain with seeds commonly in use now.

So, after sifting through everything, I don't think there's enough solid evidence to suggest that you should stop using canola oil.

Nutritionally, it's an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, and has been shown in many clinical trials to lower LDL cholesterol levels (the type associated with coronary heart disease), and total cholesterol. It's a safe and nutritionally sound choice for cooking but, as with any fat, use it in moderation.

Canola oil is by all accounts, a heart healthy oil that you shouldn't be afraid of because of some Internet scare based on truths that have been bent and twisted out of shape to satisfy a personal agenda, whatever it maybe.

CURIOUS BUT TRUE MEDICAL FACTS:

When you walk uphill, the level of harmful fats in thebloodstream goes down. When you walk downhill, blood sugar levels are reduced. Alter your patterns of exercise depending on your health needs! And how many hills are in your neighborhood.

TAKEN FROM DOCTORS CHART:

The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stockbroker instead.

Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

SICK CALLS TO THE BOSS:

I'm too drunk to drive to work.

I forgot what day of the week it was.

My brain went to sleep and I couldn't wake it up.

WHAT!!

Police recently arrested a man who was selling pills that would give you eternal youth. Police discovered that it was the fourth time this man was arrested. The earlier arrests were made in 1799, 1852 and 1921

THE GREAT FINAL TRUTH:

It was recently discovered that research causes cancer in laboratory rats.