There are several culprits such as sugar, saturated & trans fat which have resulted in rise of chronic & lifestyle diseases. One of the most commonly consumed food items- Industrial seed oil has attracted very little attention.
Unlike traditional oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, butter & Ghee, industrial seed oil are recent entrant to our diet. Industrial seed oils, highly processed & extracted from oils such as Canola, soya & corn oils are neither healthy for our heart nor leads to growth of our body & brain. In Fact such oils are driving us towards chronic epidemic. Of late, these oils have attained a prominent position in westernised processed diet globally.
As a matter of fact, industrial seed oils were used in soap making process however have now find place as byproduct in our plate. In earlier times, some of businessmen-specifically soap makers found that soap can be made from vegetable oils. At the same time, the oil displaced cottonseed oil which was in lighting & was considered as toxic waste. It was realised by these soap makers- Procter & Gamble that this cotton seed oil can be used to make soap. Additionally, this oil can be converted into a solid cooking fat through a process called hydrogenation. This is how toxic waste was converted into cooking oil used by western world for cooking. Soon other vegetable oils such as Canola, corn, soya & sunflower oil followed. The low cost of these oil found their way into global households.
Many dietary factors contribute to inflammation. They include consumption of industrial seed oils, but also consumption of gluten and excess refined sugar. The effect of these foods on our health can vary from low energy to increasing the rate of chronic diseases and greater challenges in managing diabetes.
How these industrial seed oil are made?
Basic method of manufacturing industrial seeds oil is not natural. The oils extracted from soybean, corn, cottonseed & rapeseed must be refined, bleached & deodorised before they are fit for human consumption. The following steps are used to make industrial seed oils:
- Seeds are extracted from soya bean, cottonseed, corn & rapeseed plants
- These seeds are heated at very high temperatures which oxidises unsaturated fatty acids. This creates byproducts which are harmful for both human & animal health.
- The seeds are then processed with petroleum based solvent to maximise oil extraction.
- Manufacturers used chemicals deodorise the oils. This produces a lot of trans fats which are harmful for our health.
- Finally more chemicals are added to change the color of oil.
Finally industrial seed oils are high calorie-low nutrient that contains chemical residue, trans fat & oxidised byp roduct.
Why industrial seed oils are a disaster for your health?
- Consumption of industrial seed oils represents an evolutionary mismatch: Linoleic acid, primary fatty acid in industrial seed oils comprises 8% of total calorie intake against 1-3% consumed by our ancestors. As such our body is not designed to consume such high quantity of Linoleic acid, thereby making our health suffer.
- Unbalanced omega-6-to-omega-3 fatty acid ratios: Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated acids which we need to take from our diet. Our body does not produce them. Such essential fatty acids comes from 2 sources omega-6 & omega-3 fatty acids. A balanced ratio of both these sources is required for optimal health. The ancestral ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 was 1:1. However the westernised diet has ratio in range of 10: 1 to 20:1. Such an imbalance leads to chronic inflammation which increases the risk of chronic diseases
- Industrial seed oils are unstable and oxidise easily: Polyunsaturated fats in industrial seed oil are highly unstable & oxidise easily upon exposure to heat, light or chemical inputs. Such an oxidation creates two harmful substances- trans fat & lipid peroxides which are known to lead to cardiovascular diseases & type 2 diabetes.
- Contain harmful additives: Given that polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly unstable, synthetic antioxidants are added to prevent it from oxidation. These antioxidants have immune disrupting effects , promoting the development of food allergies
- These oils are derived from genetically modified crops which poses question market to long term safety of such oils
- Creates toxic byproducts: Such oils are widely used by restaurants who engage in practice that further magnifies its harmful effect. Although, re-heating at high temperature & re-using it in deep fryer reduces costs, it results in oil which is full of toxic byproducts. Repeated heating of industrial seed oils depletes vitamin E while inducing the formation of free radicals that cause oxidative stress and damage DNA, proteins, and lipids. This is the reason why repeatedly heated industrial seed oils are associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, and liver damage.
